Diana Salazar Méndez
Diana Salazar Méndez | |
|---|---|
_(sq_cropped).jpg) Salazar in January 2024 | |
| Attorney General of Ecuador | |
| Assumed office 8 April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Ruth Palacios Brito |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 5, 1981 Ibarra, Ecuador |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Jurist, lawyer, prosecutor |
| Website | |
Diana Salazar Méndez (born 5 June 1981, Ibarra, Ecuador) is an Ecuadorian jurist and lawyer, and the current Attorney-General of Ecuador.[1][2] She was said to be leading the country's fight against "narcopolitics" in January 2024.
Early life and education
Salazar spent her childhood in her native Ibarra, moving to Quito at age 16 with family.[3] She was raised solely by her mother Olivia Méndez, an educational psychologist, along with three siblings.[2][4]
She is of
Career
In 2001, at the age of 20, she began working in the Pichincha Prosecutor's Office as an assistant prosecutor, while still studying at the Central University Law School. In 2006 she was promoted as a secretary in the office, and in 2011 she became a prosecutor for the south of the capital.[4]
As prosecutor, Salazar investigated the
Diana Salazar was appointed unanimously as the Attorney General of Ecuador by the transitionary Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control on 1 April 2019.[3]
In December 2023, she led operation Metastasis which led to the arrest of the president of the Judiciary and another police senior figure for organized crime and drug trafficking.[6] There were 30 arrests and 75 raids. She was said to be leading the country's fight against "narcopolitics" in January 2024 because politicians and judges were collaborating with drug gangs. This was during events was when a national TV station's live programme was taken over at gun point and one of the country's most notorious criminals, José Adolfo Macías Villamar went missing from prison.[7]
Among the 100 most influential people in 2024.
The magazine Time describes the work of Diana Salazar, Ecuador's prosecutor, as one of the most challenging and risky in the Western Hemisphere. She is among Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2024.[8] Diana Salazar is the first black woman to hold the position of Attorney General of the State. Her task involves combating violent and well-connected drug traffickers who threaten Ecuador's stability. Despite constant threats against her and her family, Salazar has earned the respect and support of the Ecuadorian population, who long for peace and security. Her determination reflects her conviction that justice will not yield to adversity.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Fiscalía General del Estado | Diana Salazar Méndez fue posesionada como Fiscal General del Estado" [Diana Salazar Méndez was inaugurated as Attorney General of the State] (in Spanish). 8 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "dianasalazarmendez.com" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b Velez, Roger (1 April 2019). "Diana Salazar es la nueva Fiscal General con el puntaje más alto en el Cpccs-t". El Comercio. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ a b "¿Quién es Diana Salazar?" [Who is Diana Salazar?]. Vistazo (in Spanish). 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Breaking News, Ecuador News, World, Sports, Entertainment » Diana Salazar is the new Attorney General of Ecuador". www.ecuadortimes.net. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Plan V (14 December 2023). "Wilman Terán y Pablo Ramírez, detenidos por investigación relacionada con delincuencia organizada y narcotráfico" (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Diana Salazar escogida como una de las 100 personas más influyentes en el mundo por la revista TIME" (in Spanish). Guayaquil. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Power, Samantha (17 March 2024). "THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2024 Diana Salazar Méndez". New York. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.