Monika Silva Koniuszek, a 41-year-old Polish activist living in Montañita (a coastal town in Ecuador's Santa Elena province), has been confirmed murdered after a forensic examination found she died from a blow to the head and strangulation — contradicting an initial government claim that she had taken her own life. Colleagues say Silva Koniuszek had been investigating Noboa Trading, the fruit conglomerate of President Daniel Noboa's family, pursuing allegations that cocaine had been seized in the company's banana shipping containers and that senior judicial officials were obstructing related investigations. Poland's prosecutor's office has requested formal legal cooperation with Ecuadorian authorities, while activists warn her killing follows a pattern of violence against those who speak out against corruption and organised crime in the country.