BOGOTAA Monday marked the death of a Colombian senator and presidential candidate whose shooting at a June political event brought back memories of some of the most horrific episodes of the nation’s drug-fueled bloodshed.
Miguel Uribe Turbay’s family reported that the congressman passed away in a Bogota hospital. 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.
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“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 pray to God to teach me how 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 level of political violence against presidential candidates since Medellin drug lord Pablo Escobar declared war on the state in the 1990s, were disturbed by the shooting, 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.
How could I not sacrifice my life for a cause, both in life and in politics, if my mother was willing to do so? 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.
The former president, who is unrelated to the senator, claimed on social media that evil ruins everything. Hope is dead because of 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. He was added to the list of candidates in October who are 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 his sympathies to Uribe’s family on X and emphasized the need to continue the probe.
According to Petro, the government needs to assist and deny the crime. The government prioritizes the lives and safety of the individual and their family, 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.
He wrote on X that the United States is in solidarity with his family and the Colombian people, both in demand of justice for those responsible and in sadness.
Despite not being the front-runner in the early phases of the contest when he was shot, Uribe hoped 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 about possible attacks.
Uribe has already come to represent the Colombian right, according to Javier Garay, a professor of political science at the Externado University of Colombia. 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.
