(AP) — A Venezuelan human rights activist and a political consultant living in Colombia’s capital for the past year were wounded by gunshots in an apparently targeted attack, Colombian authorities said Monday.
Colombian police said in a statement that just past noon, Yendri Omar Velásquez Rodríguez and Luis Alejandro Peche Arteaga exited a building on Bogota’s north side and were shot by two unidentified people.
Both men were reported to be in stable condition at a hospital, police said.
Colombia President Gustavo Petro said on X that government security forces would expand their protection of human rights activists. “All Venezuelan citizens who seek asylum in Colombia, independent of their ideas, are welcome,” he wrote.
Colombia’s ombudsman’s office condemned the attack on the two activists and called on the Attorney General’s office to do a thorough investigation.
Velásquez Rodríguez and Peche Arteaga had left Venezuela last year alleging political persecution. Colombian police said they were not aware of threats against them in Colombia.
Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform, condemned the attack.
Velásquez Rodríguez is founder of the Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTQ+ Violence, and had sought asylum in Colombia. He was detained in August 2024 at Venezuela’s main international airport outside Caracas, when the country was still tense from President Nicolás Maduro’s claim of a reelection victory and thousands were arrested following public protests. He had been on his way to a rights defense event in Switzerland.
The election results announced by the Electoral Council sparked protests across the country to which the government responded with force that ended with more than 20 people dead.
The 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 consultant who has advised politicians, government institutions and private organizations. He was an adviser to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2017 and 2018, according to his social media profile.
Colombia’s ombudsman’s office said “the Venezuelan people deserve to live in peace and democracy,” adding that Venezuelan migrants in Colombia should be afforded protections by authorities.
Written By Rodney Mbua
