Ecuadorean Indian leader attacked (FTAA opponent)

[Judi Lynn]

Last Updated: Monday, 2 February, 2004, 22:46 GMT

Ecuadorean Indian leader attacked

Elliott Gotkine
BBC South America correspondent



Mr Iza says he does not know who was responsible for the attack
The leader of Ecuador's main indigenous movement has blamed political persecution" for an attempt on his life late on Sunday evening.
National Indigenous Confederation President Leonidas Iza was not harmed in the attack by unidentified gunmen in the capital, Quito.

But his son was reportedly shot and is now in intensive care. Mr Iza's brother and nephew were also injured. (snip)

Leonidas Iza - the president of Ecuador's National Indigenous Confederation - said he and his family were climbing out of a taxi when the attack occurred.

They were outside the headquarters of his organisation when he says he saw two men get out of a nearby vehicle and begin shooting.

"They said they were going to kill me," he said. (snip)

But speaking to Ecuadorean TV , Mr Iza suggested that he could have been targeted because of his opposition to the Free Trade Area of the Americas - he had only just returned from Cuba, where he attended a convention opposed to the US-backed project.
(snip)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3453407.stm

[4morewars]

1. Sounds like the work of ....

School of the Americas graduates. Also known as the school of the assasins. If you are not familiar with this fine institution, you can learn more here:
http://www.soaw.org/new/index.php

[JanMichael]

2. Hardly a shocker. Somebody needs to start arming the opponants...

...of Imperialism.

Negotiating simply does not work.

[HuckleB]

3. And arming themselves does?