Killing of a second Latin American influencer sparks criticism of authorities for failing to protect women
The murder of a 22-year-old model, university student and social media influencer has stirred outrage in Colombia.
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María José Estupiñán was shot and killed outside her home in Cúcuta, Colombia, on May 15.
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Women's rights advocates and public officials have criticized Colombian authorities for failing to protect Estupiñán, highlighting systemic negligence in cases of violence against women.
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The assailant, disguised as a delivery man, approached her residence in the morning and shot her at point-blank range when she answered the door.
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Estupiñán had previously reported her ex-partner for domestic violence and had recently won a court case against him. Just a day before the shooting, a judge ordered her ex-boyfriend to pay her 30 million Colombian pesos (around $10,000) in damages for a longstanding domestic violence complaint. He is the prime suspect in the case.
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Estupiñán was a well-known model and influencer, with nearly 45,000 followers on TikTok and a strong presence on other platforms. Her public persona as a young, enterprising woman brought her visibility and recognition in Colombia and beyond.
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Violence against women with public profiles is a growing concern in Latin America. Her murder has fuelled public outrage and drawn national and international attention to her case.
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Estupiñán's killing came just days after the murder of another Latin American influencer, Valeria Márquez of Mexico. Both murders have highlighted the heightened risks faced by women with public platforms, and sparked broader conversations about femicide and the dangers of being a public-facing woman in the region.
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CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
Colombian presidential candidate in critical condition following assassination attempt
Images of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, along with candles and flowers, lay at the site where he was shot during a political rally in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Vizcaino) BOGOTA, Colombia — Miguel Uribe, a conservative Colombian presidential hopeful, was in critical condition on Monday after being shot in the head from close range during a rally over the weekend. In a statement, doctors said the 39-year-old senator had 'barely' responded to medical interventions that included brain surgery following the assassination attempt that has had a chilling effect on the South American nation. Uribe was shot on Saturday as he addressed a small crowd of people who had gathered in a park in Bogota's Modelia neighborhood. On Sunday hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital where Uribe is being treated to pray for his recovery. Some carried rosaries in their hands, while others chanted slogans against President Gustavo Petro. 'This is terrible,' said Walter Jimenez, a lawyer who showed up outside the hospital with a sign calling for Petro's removal. 'It feels like we are going back to the 1990's,' he said, referring to a decade during which drug cartels and rebel groups murdered judges, presidential candidates and journalists with impunity. Petro has condemned the attack and urged his opponents to not use it for political ends. But some Colombians have also asked the president to tone down his rhetoric against opposition leaders. The assassination attempt stunned the nation, with many politicians describing it as the latest sign of how security has deteriorated in Colombia, where the government is struggling to control violence in rural and urban areas, despite a 2016 peace deal with the nation's largest rebel group. The attack on Uribe comes amid growing animosity between Petro and the Senate over blocked reforms to the nation's labor laws. Petro has organized protests in favor of the reforms, where he has delivered fiery speeches referring to opposition leaders as 'oligarchs' and 'enemies of the people.' 'There is no way to argue that the president … who describes his opponents as enemies of the people, paramilitaries and assassins has no responsibility in this,' Andres Mejia, a prominent political analyst, wrote on X. The Attorney General's office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene of the attack against Uribe. Videos captured on social media show a suspect shooting at Uribe from close range. The suspect was injured in the leg and was recovering at another clinic, authorities said. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez added that over 100 officers are investigating the attack. On Monday, Colombia's Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo said that minors in Colombia face sentences of up to eight years in detention for committing murders. Camargo acknowledged that lenient sentences have encouraged armed groups to recruit minors to commit crimes. However, she said that Colombian law also considers that minors who are recruited by armed groups are victims, and is trying to protect them. 'As a society we need to reflect on why a minor is getting caught up in a network of assassins, and what we can do to stop this from happening in the future,' she said. Camargo said officials had not identified any death threats against Uribe prior to Saturday's assassination attempt. But on Monday, Uribe's lawyer said he has sued the director of the National Protection Unit, a government agency that assigns security guards and bullet proof vehicles to politicians and human rights leaders. Uribe launched his presidential campaign in October. His lawyer, Victor Mosquera, said the National Protection Unit ignored multiple requests by Uribe to have his security detail expanded as he campaigned. 'His security detail had to be improved,' Mosquera said in a press conference. 'We have to investigate whether the attack (on Uribe) was a consequence of negligence.' In a message on X on Monday, Petro wrote that Uribe's security detail was 'strangely' reduced from seven to three bodyguards on the day of the assassination attempt, and said he asked police to investigate. Petro said there are still many theories about the motive for the attack. Article by Manuel Rueda.
CTV News
2 days ago
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Colombian president vows to hunt ‘mastermind' behind shooting of political rival, after 15-year-old arrested
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Police and civilians later rushed him to an ambulance. Uribe has entered 'the critical hours' of recovery after undergoing an initial surgical procedure, Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said Sunday. 'He came out well from the surgery,' his wife told reporters in an audio recording after the operation, according to AFP. 'He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life.' Uribe's party said he was shot in the back while he was participating in a campaign event. In a broadcast statement Saturday evening, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack and vowed to hunt down those responsible, suggesting other criminals may have been involved. 'No resource should be spared, not a single peso or a single moment of energy, to find the mastermind … Wherever they live, whether in Colombia or abroad,' said Petro. 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He is the grandson of Julio César Turbay Ayala, who governed the country from 1978 to 1982, and died in 2005. The young politician's mother was Diana Turbay, a journalist kidnapped by drug traffickers from the Medellín cartel under Pablo Escobar, and murdered during a rescue operation in 1991. His grandmother, Nydia Quintero de Balcázar, is the founder of the organization Solidarity for Colombia. The Harvard graduate entered the Senate in 2022, after a career in local Bogota politics. He is identified with the right wing of Colombian politics, as the standard-bearer of the Democratic Center, championing security and foreign investment. In October 2024, he announced his presidential bid from the location where his mother was killed, saying that her death shaped his life. 'I could have grown up seeking revenge, but I decided to do the right thing: forgive, but never forget,' he said. With the presidential campaign still in its early stages, the Democratic Center has not yet chosen its official candidate. International condemnation The attack drew condemnation from the Colombian government and the Democratic Center, as well as former presidents and world leaders. Before Petro's address, the president's office released a statement 'categorically and forcefully' condemning the attack. 'This act of violence is an attack not only against the senator's personal integrity, but also against democracy, freedom of thought, and the legitimate exercise of politics in Colombia,' the Presidency said. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez also announced a 3 billion pesos (US$730,000) reward for information that helps authorities track down those responsible for the attack. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington condemned the attack 'in the strongest possible terms,' calling it 'a direct threat to democracy.' He attributed it to 'the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government' and urged the Colombian officials to dial back 'the inflammatory rhetoric.' President Petro later said he rejected 'opportunistic' attempts to use the attack for 'political purposes.' Uribe's Democratic Center party called the shooting 'an unacceptable act of violence.' 'We strongly reject this attack, which not only endangers the life of a political leader but also threatens democracy and freedom in Colombia,' it said in a statement. At least four former presidents – Ernesto Samper, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Juan Manuel Santos and Iván Duque – issued condemnations. Centro Democratico is the party of both Uribe and Duque. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa sent his prayers to Uribe's family, adding that 'we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance.' In the late 1980s and early '90s, when Uribe's mother was assassinated, Colombia experienced one of its worst periods of political violence, with the murders of several presidential candidates. Uribe is a prominent member of a new generation of politicians descended from victims of that violence, along with current Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán, son of former Liberal leader Luis Carlos Galán, who was assassinated in 1989. One of Uribe's greatest rivals in the Senate, María José Pizarro, is the daughter of Carlos Pizarro Leongómez, assassinated in 1990 while running for president of the leftist M-19. CNN's Billy Stockwell and Sofia Barruti contributed to this report. Mauricio Torres, Fernando Ramos, Chris Lau and Sebastian Jimenez, CNN
CBC
2 days ago
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Colombian presidential hopeful 'fighting for his life' after rally shooting, says wife
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay — a possible candidate in the country's presidential election next year — was shot and wounded at a campaign rally in Bogota on Saturday, authorities said. His conservative Democratic Centre party released a statement calling it "an unacceptable act of violence." The attack took place in a park in the Fontibon neighbourhood when armed assailants shot him from behind, said the right-wing Democratic Centre, which was the party of former President Alvaro Uribe. The men are not related. Images circulating on social media showed Uribe Turbay, 39, covered in blood being held by several people. A medical report from the Santa Fe Foundation hospital said the senator was admitted in critical condition and is undergoing a "neurosurgical and peripheral vascular procedure." "Miguel is fighting for his life," his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote on the senator's X account, urging Colombians to pray for him. The attorney general's office, which is investigating the shooting, said the senator received two gunshot wounds in the attack, which wounded two other people. The statement from the office said a 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene with a firearm. Colombia's government said it was offering a reward for the capture of all those responsible. "Respect life, that's the red line," President Gustavo Petro said in a message posted on his X account. Shortly after making the post, Petro cancelled a planned trip to France "due to the seriousness of the events," according to a presidential statement. Late Saturday night, after leading an extraordinary Security Council session, Colombia's first leftist president promised "complete transparency" in the investigation and to find the intellectual authors of the attack. He also promised an investigation into any failures by the senator's bodyguards. Presidential election to be held in May 2026 Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country's most violent periods. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, marking the end of Petro's term. The senator announced his presidential bid in March. Colombian police chief Gen. Carlos Triana said that at the time of the attack Uribe Turbay was accompanied by Coun. Andrés Barrios and 20 other people. A minor who allegedly participated in the attack was apprehended at the scene and was being treated for a leg injury, he said. "I have ordered the Colombian military and police forces and intelligence agencies to deploy all their capabilities to urgently clarify the facts," said Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the "United State condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination of Sen. Miguel Uribe," and he urged President Petro "to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials." "This is a direct threat to democracy and the result of the violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government," Rubio said. Reactions poured in from around Latin America, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric saying "there is no room or justification for violence in a democracy," and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa saying "we condemn all forms of violence and intolerance."
