TV Reporter Sustains Head Wound While Leaving Indigenous Protesters HQ In Quito - Reports

MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2019) Freddy Paredes, a reporter at the Ecuadorian Teleamazonas tv channel, has sustained a grave head injury as he was attacked by a protester while his TV crew was trying to leave a square outside the House of Culture that is housing a headquarters of indigenous protesters in Quito, media have reported.

Local media have reported that the indigenous community at the center of the Ecuadorian unrest had taken hostage eight police officers and over 20 journalists, preventing them from leaving the House of Culture. Jaime Vargas, the leader of the indigenous group known as CONAIE, demanded the return of the bodies of three CONAIE members believed to have died in the unrest and called on the authorities to stop cracking down on the indigenous peoples. The police officers were subsequently released.

The Universo news outlet reported late on Thursday that Paredes had been attacked by a member of the indigenous community after the crew decided to leave the building despite the indigenous protesters insisted that the journalists voluntarily remained inside. The outlet also published footage of the attack.

CONAIE condemned the attack, emphasizing that it happened outside the building, while the group's guards ensured the safety of the journalists inside the House of Culture and helped them safely leave it.

The unrest in Ecuador began early in October over the austerity reforms initiated by President Lenin Moreno within the framework of Ecuador's aid deal with the International Monetary Fund.

The protests were initially staged by transport companies, which rallied against the scrapping of fuel subsidies, but organizations from other industries subsequently joined them. Moreover, indigenous groups engaged in the anti-austerity protests, demanding dialogue.

Moreno, in his turn, declared a state of emergency and moved the government headquarters from the capital of Quito to the city of Guayaquil, located in the west of the country.

The president has said the austerity measures would not be scrapped, noting he was ready to meet with representatives of the indigenous peoples to discuss their demands.