Three unidentified assailants shot two Venezuelan activists in Colombia’s capital, Bogota.
The victims, political analyst Luis Alejandro Peche and LGBTQ+ activist Yendri Omar Velasquez, were injured in the attack that took place in the affluent Cedritos neighborhood in the north of Bogota.
According to local media, the attackers arrived at the scene by car and fled on foot after the shooting.
The Juntos Se Puede Foundation, an NGO that supports Venezuelan migrants and refugees, stated that the victims are in stable condition after receiving emergency treatment.
Luis Peche has gunshot wounds to his leg, femur, and buttock. Yendri Velazquez is in a complex situation and condition. He underwent surgery, a rather lengthy initial operation, lost a lot of blood, and will be kept in the ICU, theoretically, he should undergo a second hip operation tomorrow.
Director of the Juntos se Puede Foundation
At the time of publication, it was unclear who the perpetrators were and what their motives were.
Both activists fled to Colombia last year, citing political persecution by the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In an initial response, the Ombudsman’s Office condemned the attack and urged the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate the matter.
The Venezuelan people deserve to live in peace and democracy. While they are in Colombian territory, migrant and refugee persons must have the backing and support of the authorities to guarantee their rights. We urge the Prosecutor General’s Office to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation that allows the facts to be clarified and urgent protection measures for the victims to be adopted for the victims.
The Ombudsman’s Office
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado condemned the attacks and called upon the Colombian government to investigate the matter and provide protection.
We ask the Colombian authorities and the government of President Gustavo Petro to conduct a thorough, transparent, and urgent investigation to clarify the facts, identify those responsible, and ensure justice. Even more importantly, we request that protection for them and for the Venezuelans exiled in Colombia be guaranteed.
Maria Corina Machado
President Gustavo Petro ordered the National Protection Unit to expand security measures for the activists and suggested organized crime was involved in the attack.
All Venezuelan citizens who wish to seek asylum in Colombia, regardless of their ideas, are welcome… They have expressed themselves freely, and this will continue. The UNP will expand the protection of human rights activists from any country in the world in Colombia. We know what the violent ones are seeking in this case. We know about the meeting in Cucuta of the coordinated mafias.
Gustavo Petro
According to migration authorities, more than 2.8 million Venezuelans lived in Colombia in May 2025. The vast majority of them arrived in Colombia in the past decade amid a major political crisis.
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