Video footage shows 8 Evangelical leaders’ last moments before they were killed
Newly released video appears to show eight Christian religious leaders being transported by armed men in a Colombian river shortly before they were executed and buried in a mass grave. The footage was found on a mobile phone belonging to an alleged dissident of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, who is now charged in connection with their killing.
The video retrieved from the phone showed the leaders, identified as Isaid Gómez, Maribel Silva, Carlos Valero, James Caicedo, Jesús Valero, Maryuri Hernández, Nixon Peñalosa and Oscar García, being transported along the Itilla River to La Ojona farm, not far from where their bodies were later exhumed, the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported.
The footage reportedly also captured armed men photographing and interrogating the victims.
The eight victims, residents of Agua Bonita in Calamar, Guaviare, had been summoned individually on April 4-5 to a location by an illegal armed group. They never returned. Their families initially searched for them but were told by the group to stop asking questions and consider the matter closed.
The victims were members of Evangelical councils Alianza de Colombia and Cuadrangular and had relocated from Arauca after fleeing earlier persecution.
Their bodies were discovered on July 1 in a rural part of Calamar, following a three-month disappearance. Authorities located the grave after capturing a guerrilla fighter in May, who was found in possession of a phone containing both photographs and video of the captives and the scene of the crime.
The Office of the Attorney General stated that the leaders were mistaken for members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, by FARC dissidents under the command of alias Iván Mordisco, despite authorities later confirming no ties between the victims and that group.
Prosecutors say the captives were bound with chains and ropes, then executed at close range and buried in the jungle to conceal the bodies.
On Nov. 25, prosecutors filed charges against Excehomo Pabón Amaya, also known as “Morocho,” for aggravated conspiracy, forced disappearance, homicide and illegal weapons possession. Officials say Pabón Amaya was affiliated with the Armando Ríos Front, a faction that emerged following FARC’s 2016 peace accord with the Colombian government.
President Gustavo Petro condemned the murders and called them a severe violation of human rights. He urged the state to expand its security presence in conflict-affected territories where armed groups still operate.
A daughter of one of the victims told Colombian newspaper SEMANA that residents feel unprotected in areas where rival groups are fighting for control. “There is no protection from the State. Here we are really alone in a war between two armed groups,” she said.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl said the arrests were a step forward but urged Colombian authorities to investigate all those involved.
“We applaud the arrest of Excehomo Pabón Amaya, but emphasize that he did not act alone and therefore urge the Colombian government to continue to investigate this horrific crime until it is certain that all those who had a part have been held to account,” she said.
Stangl also said it was unlikely the church leaders would have been mistaken for members of the ELN, a group historically known for targeting Protestant churches. She noted that the eight had already been displaced from Arauca due to threats from the ELN, only to face further danger in Guaviare.
The FARC, both before and after the 2016 peace deal, has been accused of curtailing religious freedom and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of church leaders in Colombia’s rural regions.
Human rights advocates say targeted violence continues under more extreme dissident factions that reject the peace agreement.
The United Nations Human Rights Office also issued a statement condemning the killings, warning that such acts “silence essential voices” in local communities and contribute to a worsening humanitarian situation.
In Calamar, Mayor Eiver Gutiérrez said his town feels abandoned and urged national leaders to prioritize security over public celebrations. He appealed for immediate intervention to address the worsening conditions.
On Nov. 28, Colombia’s Ombudsman Office convened a meeting with 21 churches and religious groups to plan measures for recognizing and repairing harm suffered by religious communities throughout the armed conflict.
The participants agreed to build a joint work plan, develop human rights training, and create reporting and monitoring tools. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for 2026.
