A court in Ecuador has handed down prison sentences of 12 years and 34 years for five people found guilty of murdering presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
Journalist and former legislator Mr Villavicencio was shot while leaving a rally in August 2023, becoming the most prominent victim of Ecuador 's spiralling violence.
Prosecutors accused at least two of those tried of belonging to the Los Lobos crime gang, among 22 criminal gangs designated as terrorists by President Daniel Noboa in January. Mr Villavicencio, whose journalism exposed corruption and connections between organized crime and politicians, had long faced threats.One of the shooters died at the scene of Mr Villavicencio's murder and seven other suspects - mostly Colombian citizens - were murdered in October while being held in prisons on pre-trial detention.
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