Pastor assassinated during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Colombia

• Pastor José Otoniel Ortega was assassinated during New Year’s Eve celebrations in northern Colombia.
• At least 10 other pastors have been killed in the country within the past year.
• Authorities have launched an investigation to identify and arrest those responsible for the attack.

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A 54-year-old Protestant pastor was shot and killed by armed men on New Year’s Eve in northern Colombia as he gathered with his family. The killing took place in the Santa Elena neighborhood of Fundación Municipality in the Magdalena Department.

Police said the pastor, José Otoniel Ortega, was shot around midnight on Dec. 31 while celebrating the start of the year with relatives, according to the United Kingdom-based advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which said he was taken to a nearby medical clinic and died from his injuries shortly after.

Authorities in Magdalena had launched a coordinated investigation with the Attorney General’s Office to identify and arrest those responsible. They urged residents to share any relevant information by calling local emergency lines.

The incident sparked outrage among religious leaders across Colombia, with national Evangelical networks issuing statements condemning the killing of Ortega, who was affiliated with the Foursquare Gospel Church and served as a religious leader in Fundación.

Earlier reports had misidentified his denomination as the Pentecostal Church.

CSW called Ortega’s death a “premeditated, targeted assassination,” pointing to the timing and nature of the attack.

"CSW extends our deepest condolences to the family and church community of Pastor José Otoniel Ortega for this loss," CSW’s Advocacy Director Anna Lee Stangl said in a statement. "The nature of the attack on Mr. Otoniel Ortega, whilst he was celebrating New Year’s Eve with his family, makes it clear that this was a premeditated, targeted assassination."

Ortega’s denomination described him as a dedicated pastor committed to service.

The Colombian Council of Evangelical Churches released a statement saying the killing had affected not just Ortega’s congregation, but the larger Christian community in the country. The group called for justice and an end to violence against religious leaders.

The Ministry of the Interior urged local civil and police authorities to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. It also reminded the public of the constitutional rights tied to religious freedom, including the right to life and safety for faith leaders and their communities.

Ortega’s killing is the latest in a series of attacks against religious leaders in the country, according to CSW.

At least 10 Protestant leaders were killed and one Catholic priest was kidnapped in Colombia between December 2024 and November 2025, including another pastor in Magdalena in January 2025.

The group said religious leaders in conflict zones are often targeted by criminal groups involved in Colombia’s long-running internal armed conflict, where illegal armed actors seek to maintain territorial control and suppress dissent.

Church representatives and advocacy groups have also raised concerns about recent changes to the country’s protection framework. CSW said recent government reforms altered Decree 1066, removing a specific protection protocol that had recognized religious leaders as a distinct vulnerable group and provided tailored security measures under Colombia’s National Protection System.

The groups have called on international actors to track attacks on faith-based leaders and support accountability efforts.

Final services for Ortega were expected to take place at his church in Fundación. The police investigation remains ongoing.