Colombia’s BOGOTA Monday marked the death of a Colombian senator and presidential candidate whose June gunshot at a political event brought up memories of some of the most horrific episodes of the nation’s drug-fueled bloodshed.
Miguel Uribe Turbay passed away at a Bogota hospital, according to his family. After being shot three times, twice in the head, during a campaign address in a park, Uribe, 39, has been in critical condition in an intensive care unit with periods of mild recovery.
“My life’s love, rest in peace. His wife, Mara Claudia Tarazona, confirmed his passing on social media by writing, “I will take care of our children.” “I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you.”
At the scene of the June 7 incident in a working-class area of Bogota, a young suspect was taken into custody. Authorities have not identified the person who ordered the hit or the reason behind it, but they later arrested a number of other persons.
Colombians, who have not witnessed this type of political violence against presidential candidates since Medellin drug lord Pablo Escobar declared war on the state in the 1990s, were disturbed by the gunshot, which was captured on several recordings.
During that time, Uribe’s mother, renowned journalist Diana Turbay, was one of the victims. After being abducted by a gang of drug traffickers commanded by Escobar in an attempt to prevent their extradition to the United States, she passed away during a police rescue.
“If my mother was willing to give her life for a cause, how could I not do the same in life and in politics?” Uribe stated in an interview with a Colombian news organization last year that he was only five years old when his mother was murdered.
At the age of 26, Uribe, a lawyer who graduated from Harvard University with a master’s degree in public administration, entered politics as a councilman for Bogota. He received more votes than any other member of the conservative Democratic Center party, which was led by former President Ivaro Uribe, in 2022.
According to the former president, who is unrelated to the senator, “Evil destroys everything,” on social media. “Hope has been destroyed by them. May Miguel’s battle serve as a beacon to guide Colombia.
The senator was one of the most vocal opponents of the present administration in Colombia. In October, he was added to the list of candidates hoping to succeed Colombia’s first leftist leader, Gustavo Petro, in the May 2026 elections.
Authorities have proposed a number of theories on the attack’s cause, and the candidate’s supporters have expressed dissatisfaction at the government’s repeated refusals to strengthen his state-provided security detail.
Petro expressed sympathy for Uribe’s family on X and emphasized that the “investigation must be furthered.”
“The government must repudiate the crime and help,” Petro said. “The government’s top concern is the individual and their family, their life, and their safety, regardless of ideology. We have not and will not persecute any opposition members.
Tens of thousands protested the violence in the streets immediately after the attack, wearing white and holding Colombian flags.
The senator’s passing was mourned by foreign leaders, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible,” he wrote in a post on X.
Although he was not considered a favorite in the early phases of the election when he was shot, Uribe aimed to become the youngest president of the nation by announcing his intentions to run for higher office. The government increased security for all opposition lawmakers and presidential candidates after the shooting, and several of them canceled political gatherings out of concern for possible attacks.
According to Professor Javier Garay of the Externado University of Colombia, who teaches political science, Uribe has already “become a symbol of the Colombian right.” Given the current lack of unity and the wide range of proposals from the dozens of lawmakers competing to represent the bloc on the ballot next year, he thought it was too soon to say whether the senator’s passing would fortify the political faction.
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Regina Garcia Cano, a writer for the Associated Press, provided coverage from Mexico City.
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Go to https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america to follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean.
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