Two presidential campaign staffers killed in Colombia as elections near

Two presidential campaign staffers have been killed in Colombia's central department of Meta. Gunmen on motorbikes shot the victims on Friday night. The killings were announced by right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who said the victims were defending democracy and freedom. The citizens' rights ombudsman identified the slain men as Rogers Mauricio Devia Escoba and his adviser Eder Fabian Cardona Lopez. The ombudsman warned that the attacks could affect the exercise of political rights and democratic participation in the upcoming election.