Guayaramérin Councilwoman Assassinated
On June 19, 2012, Daguimar Rivera Ortiz, the councilwoman of Guayaramérin, was shot to death on the balcony of her home by two masked men (“Concejala de Guayaramerín fue asesinada a balazos en karaoke” 2012). Following her death, a commission was sent to investigate the crime, however, the case remains open. The assassination was presumed to have been politically motivated due to the Rivera Ortiz’s probe of corruption within the municipal office.
On June 19, 2012, Daguimar Rivera Ortiz, hereafter Rivera, was shot at 12:30 AM by two masked men. Rivera was reported to have been shot three times according to a local radio news station (“Concejala de Guayaramerín fue asesinada a balazos en karaoke” 2012). Her assassination came not long after Rivera’s investigation of the municipal office’s misuse of public funds, nepotism, and corruption (“Concejala de Guayaramerín fue asesinada a balazos en karaoke” 2012). Following her death, there were initial calls for further investigation, markedly by the head of police who stated he was going to send a commission to investigate the assassination (“Concejala de Guayaramerín fue asesinada a balazos en karaoke” 2012). On September 12, 2012, a legal official in charge of Rivera’s case stated that a suspect was in custody and that there was strong evidence that corroborated his involvement in the assassination, however, his name was never disclosed and as of 2025, there have been no developments in Rivera’s case.
Rivera’s political assassination followed the death of another councilwoman, Juana Quispe Apaza, who had been strangled to death three months prior. Apaza’s assassination was confirmed to have been politically motivated, and sparked protests and the passage of the Law 432 which sought to combat political violence and harassment against female politicians and their families Rodríguez et al. (2012).