Víctor Vizcaíno Luzuriaga was detained in Guayaquil by police officers after being accused of having offended the Pichincha State Prosecutor General, through material that was posted on his blog.
(Fundamedios/IFEX) – On 3 May 2011, Víctor Vizcaíno Luzuriaga was detained in Guayaquil by police officers who informed him that a warrant for his arrest had been issued, for the purposes of an investigation. The warrant was issued on 19 April by the Pichincha 24th Penal Guarantees Court, following a complaint filed by Prosecutor Miguel Jurado Fabara, of the Pichincha Public Administration’s Specialized Unit. Vizcaíno is accused of having offended the State Prosecutor General, Washington Pesántez Muñoz, through material that was posted on Vizcaíno’s blog, http://www.laplegariadeunpagano.com.
Mario Freitas, Vizcaíno’s attorney in Guayaquil, told Fundamedios that his client was detained on 3 May as he left his home and was taken to the city’s Judicial Police headquarters in order to be transferred to Quito. Freitas confirmed that, as of 4 May, Vizcaíno was in Quito and was being held in the facilities of the State’s Prosecutor General Office.
According to the lawyer, this amounts to kidnapping, since Vizcaíno’s residence is in Guayaquil and there was no need for him to be transferred to Quito.
Fundamedios was able to obtain a copy of the ruling which states that: “as part of preliminary inquiry No 170101811030804 FEAP-MJF . . . one is hereby notified of the alleged crime of offence committed against Dr. Washington Pesántez Muñoz, Prosecutor General, through the web page http://:www.laplegariadeunpagano.com/2010/01/washingtonpesantez-criminalencubridor.html , and that investigations have identified more than two photographs, more than 12 statements and more than four offensive videos against the official”.
Vizcaíno’s attorney in Quito, Carlos Moya Rueda, informed Fundamedios that his client did not write the offensive comments that appear on the blog and that he will prove this both technically and from a legal standpoint. “We are dealing with a case of mistaken identity,” Moya said.
The lawyer also told Fundamedios that the arraignment was expected to take place on the afternoon of 4 May and that he expected his client would be released, in accordance with the law in the case of detentions with the purpose of carrying out an investigation.
According to an article published in the newspaper “El Universo”, Vizcaíno is a member of the Libertarian Movement which supports a “NO” vote in the upcoming referendum, and that the website includes publications, videos and photomontages that question the regime. However, when one attempts to access the site, one is informed that it is a private site.
