SAN ANTONIO, Colombia — Unidentified gunmen in Colombia assassinated Jose Juan Lozada Corteza, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church of San Antonio Jan. 27. According to the Evangelical Council of Colombia (CEDECOL), uniformed men stopped the public bus in which Lozada was traveling and singled out the clergyman from the rest of the passengers.
Forcing him off the vehicle, assailants shot Lozada in the head in full view of bystanders. The gunmen, members of an illegal armed group fighting the country’s protracted civil war, reportedly also killed a member of Lozada’s church who was traveling with him. In another incident, CEDECOL leaders urged Esnilder Pop, pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Santander, Cauca, to leave the community following an attempt on his life during Sunday worship services in November. According to Amnesty International, more than 60,000 persons have died in the fighting since 1985, with civilians comprising 80 percent of the victims. At least 72 Protestant pastors and 33 Catholic priests have been killed.
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