Gunmen killed the head of the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) in Putumayo department, southern Colombia on Sunday.
Epaminondas Eladio Yascual Imbaquin was gunned down by two men outside of Mocoa, Putumayo, in what his wife, friends and the MOE said was a politically motivated murder.
His wife, Saturia Espana, told press he had been appointed by the MOE to oversee the elections on October 30.
Authorities say they have other hypotheses about Imbaquin’s death but cannot disclose them for risk of jeopardizing the murder investigation.
According to the Electoral Observation Mission, the death of Imbaquin brings the number of murders related to this year’s elections to 40, with another 169 acts of political violence.
In a statement on its website, the MOE said ” We deeply regret that the lives of the observers and defenders of human rights (…) are still at risk in our country. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Epaminondas Eladio Yascual Imbaquin. We will continue our work to defend democracy, and we will stay vigilant so that no such act remains unpunished.”