The organization urges authorities to clarify the crime and identify those responsible. The journalist had received death threats and was under protection measures provided by the Attorney General’s Office.
Miami (November 9, 2026) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemns the murder of Ecuadorian journalist Tomás Alfonso Beltrán Conforme, who was killed on November 8 in Calceta, Manabí province. The organization is calling on authorities to conduct a thorough and expeditious investigation to identify both the perpetrators and those who may have ordered the crime, and to establish its circumstances and motives.
Beltrán, director of the community digital news outlet Calcetines, was shot by armed assailants on Sunday night while he was near his home, according to press reports. The attackers fled the scene, according to local media. Authorities have yet to establish the motive for the murder or identify the assailants.
The crime is particularly serious given the history of threats and intimidation that Beltrán had reported. According to the Coalition for the Protection of Journalists (MAPP), in April of this year he received threatening leaflets at his home. Violence had also affected two of his outlet’s contributors, who were murdered earlier; their names have not been made public. Since May 2025, Beltrán had been enrolled in the Attorney General’s Office Victims and Witnesses Protection System.
The IAPA President Carlos Jornet, Editorial Director of Argentina’s La Voz del Interior, said: “It is unacceptable that a journalist who had reported threats and was under protection measures has been murdered. Authorities must act urgently, conduct a thorough investigation, and determine whether there was any connection between the previous threats and this crime. There can be no impunity or indifference in the face of violence against those who practice journalism.”
Martha Ramos, director of Mexico’s Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), added: “The threats against the journalist were known and had prompted warnings from press freedom protection organizations. His murder once again underscores the need for effective protection mechanisms and timely responses to warnings about risks. It is essential that this crime be investigated to its fullest extent.”
The IAPA leaders stressed that, although the motives for the murder remain unknown, the history of violence against Beltrán and his professional circle makes it essential for authorities to investigate all possible scenarios, including potential links to his journalistic work, without ruling out any line of inquiry.
The organization also urged authorities to clarify the threats the journalist had received, assess the effectiveness of the protection measures assigned to him, and determine whether institutional failures may have contributed to his vulnerability.
The IAPA reiterated that violence against journalists is an attack on society’s right to information and that investigating and punishing these crimes are essential to combating impunity and ensuring the free exercise of journalism.
The IAPA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and freedom of expression in the Americas. It is made up of more than 1,300 media outlets across the Western Hemisphere and is headquartered in Miami, Florida, United States.
