CSW has today launched a campaign calling on the government of Colombia to restore specific protections to religious leaders in recognition of the particular risk they face in regions characterised by the presence of illegal armed and criminal groups.
The campaign invites supporters from around the world to sign a petition to be submitted to the winner of the country’s upcoming presidential elections which are scheduled to be held on 31 May.
It focuses on changes made to Decree 1066 and the National Protection System (NPS) in 2023, by which the government removed religious leaders from an official list of categories of particularly vulnerable populations, preventing them from accessing official security mechanisms and protection programs designated for those considered to be vulnerable.
The campaign highlights the cases of 11 religious leaders who have been assassinated, extrajudicially executed, forcibly disappeared or kidnapped in Colombia since December 2024, including Protestant Pastor José Otoniel Ortega, who was shot dead by armed individuals on 31 December 2025 whilst celebrating New Year’s Eve with his family in the Santa Elena neighbourhood of Fundación Municipality, Magdalena Department.
Also highlighted are the cases of Pastor Marlon Lora, who was killed alongside his wife and two adult children whilst eating lunch at a restaurant following Sunday morning church services in Cesar Department in December 2024; Pastor Dario Iván García, who was shot dead by two masked hitmen as he walked home with members of his church and three stepchildren following a prayer service in Magdalena Department in January 2025; and seven Protestant church leaders whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Guaviare Department in July 2025 – three months after they had disappeared upon complying with summonses from a guerrilla group.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘Over the past two years Colombia has returned to levels of violence reminiscent of the darkest days of the country’s decades-long internal conflict. As voices of peace, justice and freedom in their communities, religious leaders are obvious targets for the illegal armed and criminal groups that continue to spread fear throughout the country. Whoever wins the upcoming presidential election in Colombia must make the promises of ‘total peace’ on which the current government was elected an utmost priority, including by recognising the specific vulnerability of religious leaders and restoring their access to government protection programs and security mechanisms.’
Notes to Editors:
- Click here to see and sign the petition.
- Some religious leaders can access protection programs by applying to do so as social leaders; however, this is a longer process and does not come with the same guarantees previously afforded to religious leaders.