Her body was discovered on Monday at her home in Montañita, a coastal town in the southwest of the country.
Montañita, Ecuador. Photo: AnitaAD, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
In a statement posted on X, Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg said he had instructed that an investigation be conducted "with the utmost speed, rigor, and transparency, so that the facts are fully clarified."
The prosecution service has requested international cooperation, though it did not specify which countries were contacted, according to the AFP news agency, which first reported the case.
The AFP said Reimberg initially suggested suicide as a possible cause of death, but that assessment was later questioned.
The Ecuadorian daily El Comercio reported that Silva Koniuszek was a well‑known figure in Ecuador's Santa Elena province. She led the La Integridad foundation, which focuses on humanitarian aid, human rights, and anti‑corruption efforts.
Her work included uncovering alleged illegal land deals involving politicians, money‑laundering schemes and irregularities in the justice system.
According to the AFP, Alfonso Ortiz, head of the local NGO Mochica Sumpa, said Silva Koniuszek had asked authorities for protection because she feared for her life.
She had reportedly received death threats several months ago.
The Delegation of the European Union to Ecuador has urged Quito to ensure a "swift" and "independent" investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
(pu/gs)
Source: PAP