Two Venezuelan activists were shot and wounded in the Colombian capital Bogota on Monday, in what local authorities suspect was a targeted, hitman-style attack.
Human rights and LGBTQ+ activist Yndry Velasquez and Luis Peche, a political analyst, were leaving a building north of Bogotá when two unidentified gunmen opened fire around noon.
Both men, who have lived in Colombia since September 2024, were reported in stable condition in hospital, with Velasquez scheduled to undergo surgery.
Machado condemned the attack
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for her pro-democracy activism, said, “This attack is a grave aggression not only against them but against all work to protect and promote human rights in the region.”
Writing on social media, Machado said Velasquez and Peche were “oppressed” by the regime of leader Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, and called on the Colombian government to conduct a “thorough, transparent and immediate investigation”.
Velasquez and Peche left Venezuela last year, alleging political persecution.
Velasquez, founder of the Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTQ+ Violence, was arrested at Venezuela’s main international airport outside Caracas while on his way to a human rights event in Switzerland.
Peche is a political analyst who has advised politicians, government institutions, and private organizations. According to his social media profiles, he was an advisor to the National Assembly of Venezuela in 2017 and 2018.
Venezuelans in Colombia
The two men are among millions of Venezuelans who have fled to neighboring Colombia amid persistent political and economic crises over the past decade.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday that Venezuelans seeking asylum are welcome in Colombia “regardless of their views” and promised to expand protection for human rights activists in the country.
“The Venezuelan people deserve to live in peace and democracy,” Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office said, adding that Venezuelan migrants in Colombia should be provided protection by authorities.
The Venezuelan government has not yet commented.
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah