HRC61: Oral Statement during General Debate under Agenda Item 4

Item 4:General Debate

Speaker:Ellis Heasley

Thank you Mr President,

This statement is dedicated to the 12 religious and social leaders that have been killed or kidnapped by illegal armed or criminal groups in Colombia since December 2024.

It is dedicated to Pastor Marlon Lora, shot and killed alongside his wife and two adult children whilst they were having lunch in Cesar Department on 29 December 2024.

It is dedicated to Pastor Iván García, killed in front of his 14-year-old stepdaughter whilst walking home from a Bible study in Magdalena Department on 8 January 2025.

It is dedicated to James Caicedo, Oscar García, Isaíd Gómez, Maryuri Hernández, Nixon Peñalosa, Maribel Silva, Carlos Valero and Jesus Valero whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Guaviare Department on 1 July 2025, three months after each disappeared on complying with summonses from a local armed group.

It is dedicated to Father Carlos Saúl Jaimes Guerrero, who was forcibly disappeared on 17 June 2025 in Cundimarca. He was released after being disappeared for over a month.

It is dedicated to Pastor José Otoniel Ortega, shot dead in front of his family at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Magdalena Department on 31 December 2025.

Each of these cases highlights the specific vulnerability of religious leaders in Colombia, where they are viewed by illegal armed and criminal groups as a threat to their influence.

CSW therefore calls upon the Colombian government to take action to reverse its changes to Decree 1066 and restore the specific protection protocol which addresses these unique needs and vulnerabilities.

Thank you.