Colombia | July 12, 2024
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2 July 2023: Two Catholic Christians who had been leading a church service in the village of Esmeralda were shot at while driving through Caldono (Cauca department) at dawn. Fredy Muñoz and Eider Bototo were seriously injured (Vatican News, 3 July 2023) as their car was hit by bullets 36 times (TelesurTV, 3 July 2023).
World Watch Research analyst Rossana Ramirez comments: “Throughout Colombian territory, criminal groups are known to target social leaders, including church leaders, who promote a message of peace and respect for human rights. As the UN Verification Mission in Colombia has also confirmed, Cauca has become one of the most violent of departments. Criminal groups have been targeting ethnic leaders, representatives of civil society and those involved in the FARC reintegration process (Colombia UN Missions press release, 2 July 2023). While condemning this attack on Christians, the UN has highlighted the particular vulnerability of church leaders, which hopefully marks a step of progress in the protection of religious freedom.”
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