The Human Rights Situation Regarding Freedom of Religion and Belief in Southern Bolívar, 2024–2025

Abstract

Religious freedom, constitutionally enshrined as a pillar of axiological pluralism, is experiencing a severe de facto crisis in Colombia's internal border regions, where the public expression of faith (forum externum) is violated within the context of ongoing armed conflicts. In the southern subregion of Bolívar, church leaders face systematic harassment and statistical invisibility, a situation exacerbated by Decree 1285 of 2023, which excluded this sector from special protection under the National Protection Unit (UNP). This study aimed to analyze the human rights violations suffered by religious leaders in southern Bolívar during the period 2024-2025, identifying risk taxonomies, explanatory territorial factors, and the level of state response. Methodologically, a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) socio-legal approach was adopted, with a descriptive and cross-sectional scope. Using non-probability convenience sampling and key informants, an analytical sample of twelve (n=12) active church leaders was selected in Magangué, Montecristo, Tiquisio, Achí, and San Jacinto del Cauca. Primary data were collected through an ad hoc structured questionnaire under strict ethical confidentiality criteria. The information was processed using univariate descriptive statistics and hermeneutic triangulation. The quantitative findings revealed that the main forms of aggression consisted of coercive collections (extortion), extreme restrictions on mobility, and de facto impediments to holding public worship services and funeral rites. Organized Armed Groups (GAO) emerged as the primary threat (8 out of 12 participants), with daily pressure being reported in dispersed rural areas, inducing a "paralyzing effect" or self-censorship of church discourse. From a critical perspective, the discussion centers on how violence stems from dynamics of criminal governance and violations of International Humanitarian Law, where illegal structures perceive the trust and social legitimacy of churches as a competitive moral power that obstructs their territorial control. Furthermore, a profound institutional distrust and underreporting are evident, stemming from a well-founded fear of reprisals and criminal infiltration of local authorities, generating a marked epistemic injustice. The conclusion is that the lack of state regulatory protection and the geographical remoteness of entities such as the Ombudsman's Office exacerbate vulnerability due to legislative omission; consequently, the articulation of the departmental Public Policy (Ordinance 371 of 2024) urgently requires the redesign of prevention and protection strategies with a decentralized, micro-territorial approach that effectively safeguards the free exercise of religious freedom against organized violent coercion.