Colombia: Pastor assassinated by presumed paramilitaries

Colombia: Pastor assassinated by presumed paramilitaries

A Colombian pastor was assassinated in his home on Sunday 6 September by three masked gunmen. Forty-one year old Rafael Velasquez, pastor of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Marañonal, died instantly.

The attack took place in the evening, after a church service in a Montelibano hamlet. The armed and masked men broke into Pastor Velasquez’s home and shot him dead in front of his wife and six young members of his church.

Paramilitary groups vying for power in the region are thought to be responsible for the pastor’s murder. At least 15 pastors in Córdoba have come under threat over the last six months. A number have been forcibly displaced as a result of the threats against them and their families.

The situation in Córdobais part of a larger pattern of severe violations of religious liberty in Colombia. A new report from human rights organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) details systematic religious persecution in areas under the control of armed groups. Over 200 churches have been forcibly closed and more than 35 pastors have been assassinated in different parts of the country during the last three years.

http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=3756