Ecuador prosecutor investigating US military boat strikes and torture was assassinated

An Ecuadorian prosecutor investigating extrajudicial US military boat strikes and severe torture allegations against US forces has been shot dead in the coastal city of Manta, according to investigative reporting by Drop Site News.

Alexandra Bravo was gunned down alongside her sister last month while handling high-profile cases involving drone attacks on civilian fishing vessels, which left dozens of survivors alleging they were abducted, blindfolded, starved, and brutalized for days by US military personnel aboard a patrol ship.

Before her assassination, Bravo faced intense institutional pressure, internal resistance from her superiors, and a complete lack of cooperation from maritime authorities as she tried to probe the attacks, as detailed by Drop Site News.

Her murder follows a pattern of systematic violence against Ecuador's justice system, with twenty-six legal officials killed since 2020 amid a political climate where President Daniel Noboa's administration has granted sweeping diplomatic immunity to foreign military personnel under martial law decrees.

Despite stonewalling by both governments and denials from Washington, mounting evidence published by Drop Site News continues to corroborate the fishermen's accounts of US involvement.

Open-source intelligence, NASA thermal imagery, and vessel tracking data analyzed by human rights researchers place a US Coast Guard cutter near the targeted ships during the bombings, while the United Nations and international watchdogs demand accountability for the missing crew members and ongoing state impunity.