BOGOTA, Colombia — BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Two Venezuelan activists residing in Colombia’s capital for the previous 12 months have been wounded by gunshots in an apparently focused assault, Colombian authorities stated Monday.
Colombian police stated in a press release that simply previous midday, Yendri Omar Velásquez Rodríguez and Luis Alejandro Peche Arteaga exited a constructing on Bogota’s north facet and have been shot by two unidentified folks.
Each males have been reported to be in steady situation at a hospital, police stated.
Colombia’s ombudsman’s workplace condemned the assault on the 2 activists and known as on the Legal professional Basic’s workplace to do an intensive investigation.
Velásquez Rodríguez and Peche Arteaga had left Venezuela final 12 months alleging political persecution. Colombian police stated they weren’t conscious of threats in opposition to them in Colombia.
Velásquez Rodríguez is founding father of the Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTQ+ Violence, and had sought asylum in Colombia. He was detained in August 2024 at Venezuela’s foremost worldwide airport outdoors Caracas, when the nation was nonetheless tense from President Nicolás Maduro’s declare of a reelection victory and 1000’s have been arrested following public protests. He had been on his solution to a rights protection occasion in Switzerland.
The election outcomes introduced by the Electoral Council sparked protests throughout the nation to which the federal government responded with pressure that ended with greater than 20 folks lifeless.
The federal government canceled his passport and held him for about six hours, an incident highlighted in a report by human rights group Provea.
Peche Arteaga is a political analyst who has suggested politicians, authorities establishments and personal organizations. He was an adviser to Venezuela’s Nationwide Meeting in 2017 and 2018, in accordance with his social media profile.
Colombia’s ombudsman’s workplace stated “the Venezuelan folks need to dwell in peace and democracy,” including that Venezuelan migrants in Colombia ought to be afforded protections by authorities.
