Discovery and initial investigation

Monika Koniuszek-Silva, a 41-year-old Polish activist, was found dead in her home in the El Tigrillo neighbourhood of Montañita, Santa Elena province, on the evening of Monday, 8 June. Her partner and an employee discovered her body. Earlier that day, neighbours had seen her walking her two daughters to school. The girls are now in the care of a friend.

Ecuador's interior minister, John Reimberg, told the daily El Comercio that authorities are awaiting autopsy results.

“We are waiting for the autopsy results. At this moment I can say that it is presumed the woman committed suicide. Evidence found at the scene may point to that. According to the initial statements of the deceased's partner, she suffered from depression.”

Local police reported that officers found the woman lying on the floor and that a ligature mark was visible on her neck.

A life of activism and threats

Koniuszek-Silva, originally from Reszel in Poland's Warmia-Masuria province, had lived in Ecuador since 2014. She ran a hostel in El Tigrillo but devoted most of her energy to the foundation La Integridad, which she chaired. The foundation focused on humanitarian aid, human rights protection, and anti-corruption work in rural Santa Elena, a region affected by poverty, child malnutrition, and unemployment.

Through her social media profiles, she publicised alleged irregularities in public administration, including contract management, land trafficking, money laundering, and the functioning of the judiciary. Four days before her death, she intervened over illegal construction on Olón beach, pointing out that developers were ignoring court rulings.

“Every morning, before I start fighting, I have to thank God for the miracle that I am still alive.”

She wrote this on 14 April this year. She repeatedly stated that she received death threats and that a politician had threatened her publicly. Radio Pichincha noted that she had publicly informed about threats directed at her and "held the state responsible for failing to ensure her safety," most recently in March of this year.

Friends reject suicide theory

Those close to Koniuszek-Silva do not believe she took her own life. Agnieszka Sawicz, a friend who met her in Ecuador 15 years ago, told Fakt that the activist was a fighter.

“She was a fighter. In my opinion, she would not have committed suicide.”

Sawicz described her as someone who was enchanted by Ecuador, its people, the ocean, and the papayas from her own garden.

International reaction

The EU Delegation in Ecuador reacted to the news by calling for a swift and independent investigation. In a statement published on X, the delegation stressed the importance of protecting human rights defenders, journalists, and social activists, and of ensuring safe conditions for civic space in Ecuador.

“The European Union reiterates the importance of protecting human rights defenders, journalists and social activists, as well as ensuring safe conditions for the exercise of civic space in Ecuador.”

The Ecuadorian prosecutor's office and Interior Minister Reimberg confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of death.