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Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Death of Miguel Uribe, murdered Colombia senator, echoes mother's tragedy
BOGOTA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Miguel Uribe, who died on Monday, was from a prominent Colombian political family for whom the turbulence of the country's recent decades twice became personal tragedy. Uribe had been vying for his party's candidacy in upcoming presidential elections but died two months after being shot in the head at a campaign rally. He was 39. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, headed by drug lord Pablo Escobar. Her kidnapping and death were recounted in Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 1996 book "News of a Kidnapping." Over 450,000 people have died and millions have been displaced in an armed conflict fueled and funded by cocaine trafficking that has lasted over six decades in Colombia. "Violence cannot continue to mark our destiny," said Vice President Francia Marquez on Monday in response to Uribe's death. "Democracy is not built with bullets or blood; it is built with respect, dialogue and recognizing our differences, regardless of political position." Political violence has become rarer in recent years, with the government and the main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, reaching a peace deal in 2016. But in the 1980s and 1990s, four presidential candidates were murdered in separate attacks blamed on drug cartels allied with right-wing paramilitary death squads. The Uribe family has long been prominent in Colombian politics. Miguel Uribe's maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, served as Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported Virgilio Barco's successful 1986 presidential campaign. Born in Bogota in 1986, Uribe enjoyed a rapid political rise. At 25, he was elected to the capital's city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Gustavo Petro, now the president but then the city's leftist mayor. He was critical of Petro's handling of waste management and social programs. In 2016, at 30, Uribe was appointed city government secretary, the youngest person ever to hold the position. He resigned from that post in 2018 to launch an unsuccessful bid for mayor of Bogota as an independent. In 2022, he was elected as a senator for the right-wing Democratic Center party, running on the slogan "Colombia First." In the Senate, Uribe cemented his role as one of the primary opposition voices to Petro, criticizing the government's peace strategy aimed at ending Colombia's six-decade armed conflict. Uribe said Petro's strategy of pausing offensives on armed groups had backfired as peace talks failed. "Colombia needs leadership, unity and work. Peace cannot be reached through impunity," Uribe told fellow lawmakers in July 2024, on the opening day of the legislative session. "Only a serious security policy will incentivize criminals to lay down their arms and submit to the law." "Without security there is nothing." When he was shot, he had been running to be chosen as the candidate for the Democratic Center in the 2026 presidential election. He was not considered a likely frontrunner. He and his wife, Claudia Tarazona, had been married for over nine years and he was stepfather to her daughters from a previous relationship. Their son together is 4. He is also survived by his father and sister.
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Dies Two Months After Shooting – A Look at His Life and Career
Colombia political news: Colombian senator Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, passed away on Monday. He was just 39 years old, and had been in a hospital since Colombian senator shot in the head two months earlier at a campaign rally. Uribe was hit twice in the head on June 7 in the capital city of Bogota. He spent the months since fighting for his life in the hospital and had several surgeries. He had even experienced some health improvement in July, but in the last weekend his health started to decline and he was diagnosed with a haemorrhage of his central nervous system. Uribe's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, told in an Instagram post early Monday: 'You'll always be the love of my life. Thank you for a life full of love, thank you for being a father to the girls, the best dad to Alejandro.' 'I ask God to show me the way so that I can learn to live without you. Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children,' she added. Miguel Uribe death took the country back to a violent period in Colombia politics 2025. In the 1980s and 1990s, four presidential candidates were killed in separate attacks. Colombian senator assassination was blamed on drug cartels with ties to right-wing paramilitary death squads. Miguel Uribe biography Miguel Uribe was born on January 28, 1986, into a family history that is not easy. His mother Diana Turbay was a journalist, and she was killed during a failed rescue attempt in 1991 when Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel kidnapped her. Uribe's family was prominent in the Colombian political circuit. His maternal grandfather Julio Cesar Turbay was the president of Colombia from 1978-1982, and his paternal grandfather Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria was the Liberal Party leader who led the successful 1986 presidential campaign of Virgilio Barco. Miguel Uribe obituary had fast track in Latin America political violence himself. He had been a well-known legislator for the right-wing Democratic Center party. The potential presidential candidate had gained national attention with his fierce criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Colombian senator dead after June shooting
Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, who had been hospitalised since he was shot in the head in June during a campaign event, has died, his family said. He was 39. Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota on June 7 during a rally and underwent multiple surgeries before his death. "I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you," his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on social media. "Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children." Former president Alvaro Uribe, the leader of the senator's Democratic Centre party and no relation to the deceased lawmaker, wrote on social media platform X that "evil destroys everything; they killed hope". "May Miguel's fight be a light that illuminates Colombia's right path," added the former president, who was sentenced by a judge earlier in August to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X he was deeply saddened by the news. "The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible." The death of Uribe adds further tragedy to his family's fraught history. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, headed by drug lord Pablo Escobar. Uribe himself has enjoyed a rapid political rise, becoming a recognised lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Centre party and presidential hopeful known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. At 25, he was elected to Bogota's city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Petro, then the capital's mayor, criticising his handling of waste management and social programs. In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Centre party with the slogan "Colombia First," winning a seat in the chamber. His family is prominent in Colombian politics. His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, was Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported Virgilio Barco's successful 1986 presidential campaign. Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, who had been hospitalised since he was shot in the head in June during a campaign event, has died, his family said. He was 39. Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota on June 7 during a rally and underwent multiple surgeries before his death. "I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you," his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on social media. "Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children." Former president Alvaro Uribe, the leader of the senator's Democratic Centre party and no relation to the deceased lawmaker, wrote on social media platform X that "evil destroys everything; they killed hope". "May Miguel's fight be a light that illuminates Colombia's right path," added the former president, who was sentenced by a judge earlier in August to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X he was deeply saddened by the news. "The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible." The death of Uribe adds further tragedy to his family's fraught history. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, headed by drug lord Pablo Escobar. Uribe himself has enjoyed a rapid political rise, becoming a recognised lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Centre party and presidential hopeful known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. At 25, he was elected to Bogota's city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Petro, then the capital's mayor, criticising his handling of waste management and social programs. In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Centre party with the slogan "Colombia First," winning a seat in the chamber. His family is prominent in Colombian politics. His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, was Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported Virgilio Barco's successful 1986 presidential campaign. Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, who had been hospitalised since he was shot in the head in June during a campaign event, has died, his family said. He was 39. Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota on June 7 during a rally and underwent multiple surgeries before his death. "I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you," his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on social media. "Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children." Former president Alvaro Uribe, the leader of the senator's Democratic Centre party and no relation to the deceased lawmaker, wrote on social media platform X that "evil destroys everything; they killed hope". "May Miguel's fight be a light that illuminates Colombia's right path," added the former president, who was sentenced by a judge earlier in August to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X he was deeply saddened by the news. "The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible." The death of Uribe adds further tragedy to his family's fraught history. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, headed by drug lord Pablo Escobar. Uribe himself has enjoyed a rapid political rise, becoming a recognised lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Centre party and presidential hopeful known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. At 25, he was elected to Bogota's city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Petro, then the capital's mayor, criticising his handling of waste management and social programs. In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Centre party with the slogan "Colombia First," winning a seat in the chamber. His family is prominent in Colombian politics. His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, was Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported Virgilio Barco's successful 1986 presidential campaign. Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, who had been hospitalised since he was shot in the head in June during a campaign event, has died, his family said. He was 39. Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota on June 7 during a rally and underwent multiple surgeries before his death. "I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you," his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote on social media. "Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children." Former president Alvaro Uribe, the leader of the senator's Democratic Centre party and no relation to the deceased lawmaker, wrote on social media platform X that "evil destroys everything; they killed hope". "May Miguel's fight be a light that illuminates Colombia's right path," added the former president, who was sentenced by a judge earlier in August to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X he was deeply saddened by the news. "The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible." The death of Uribe adds further tragedy to his family's fraught history. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, headed by drug lord Pablo Escobar. Uribe himself has enjoyed a rapid political rise, becoming a recognised lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Centre party and presidential hopeful known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. At 25, he was elected to Bogota's city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Petro, then the capital's mayor, criticising his handling of waste management and social programs. In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Centre party with the slogan "Colombia First," winning a seat in the chamber. His family is prominent in Colombian politics. His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, was Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982, while his paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported Virgilio Barco's successful 1986 presidential campaign.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Colombian presidential candidate dies after shooting at rally caught on video
Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a favourite to become president of Colombia, has died after being shot in the head at a campaign rally, with his mum also assassinated by Pablo Escobar's cartel Footage shows the chilling moment that a favourite to win the presidential elections in Colombia was shot by a 14-year-old hitman at a campaign rally. Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay died today, more than two months after being shot as he gave a speech in a park in the west of Bogota. His mother was journalist Diana Turbay, who was assassinated in 1991 by Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel. She had been kidnapped in a stand-off between the drug gang and the Colombian government as they wanted to prohibit extradition to the United States. Now her 39-year-old son has died, confirmed his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona. Uribe Turbay was critically wounded on June 7 during a campaign rally, suffering gunshot wounds to the head and leg. He underwent emergency surgery and remained hospitalized in intensive care until his death. It comes after a shark attack horror as boy, 7, had his leg shredded in an idyllic bay. Camera crews were recording the speech by Uribe Turbay when a 14-year-old boy went round the back of the politician and just a few metres away got out a gun and fired several times with the crowd erupting in screams and shouts. The politician was hit twice in the head and the boy ran off but was quickly caught by police who detained him after shooting him in the leg. 'We are completely aware that this youth we have caught was just the executioner, ' said chief prosecutor Luz Adriana Camargo. The boy, who used a semi automatic Glock, was also filmed as he was arrested and he was heard claiming that he was just following orders, having been paid to carry out the killing. Footage heard him say: 'It was the man from the pot, I'll tell you who, let me give you their numbers.' Pots are areas of Bogota where small-scale drug trafficking takes place. The boy added: 'Sorry I did it for money for my family.' The attack has alarmed Colombians who haven't seen this kind of political violence against presidential candidates since Escobar declared war on the state in the 1990s. '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 Turbay, who was just five when his mother was killed, said in an interview last year. Uribe Turbay, a lawyer with a masters degree in public administration from Harvard University, entered local politics in Bogota when he was 26. In 2022, he was the biggest vote-getter in the conservative Democratic Centre party led by former President Alvaro Uribe. 'Evil destroys everything,' said the former president, on social media. 'They have killed hope. May Miguel's struggle be a light that illuminates Colombia's path.' Since the shooting an investigation has led to the arrest of Elder José Arteaga Hernández, alias Chipi, as the leader of a criminal gang who planned the killing but police continue to appeal to the public for information. He is among four people who have been detained by police, although authorities say that they still do not know who is the 'intellectual author' of the attack. General Carlos Fernando Triano, head of Colombian police force said that the shooting had been 'out-sourced' to the gang. 'It is something planned, they plotted to harm the senator and that means there is someone behind all this,' he said. 'He (Chipi) is a leader, a clever criminal who has been in prison. He organizes the work of other criminals and gave orders to a group of up to 10 people.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Colombian senator dies two months after being shot. Who was Miguel Uribe?
Miguel Uribe, a Colombian senator and a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, died on Monday, two months after being shot in the head at a campaign rally. Colombian senator Miguel Uribe was known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration.(AFP) The 39-year-old leader was shot twice in the head on June 7 in Bogota. Since then, he had been fighting for life in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries. Miguel Uribe even showed some improvement in July, but over the past weekend, his condition worsened due to a haemorrhage in his central nervous system. Uribe's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, said in an Instagram post early on Monday, "You'll always be the love of my life. Thank you for a life filled with love, thank you for being a father to the girls, the best dad to Alejandro." "I ask God to show me the path to learn to live without you. Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children," she added. ALSO READ | Video: Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe shot in head during Bogota rally Uribe's assassination brought back intense memories from Colombia's political past. In the 1980s and 1990s, four presidential candidates were murdered in separate attacks, which were blamed on drug cartels allied with the right-wing paramilitary death squads. Who was Miguel Uribe? Born on January 28, 1986, Miguel Uribe's family history is not an easy one. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a journalist. She was killed during a botched rescue mission in 1991 after Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel kidnapped her. Uribe's family held a prominent place in the Colombian political circuit. His maternal grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, served as Colombia's president from 1978 to 1982. His paternal grandfather, Rodrigo Uribe Echavarria, headed the Liberal Party and supported the successful 1986 presidential campaign of Virgilio Barco. Miguel Uribe has himself had a rapid political rise. He became a renowned lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Center party. The potential presidential candidate was known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. Uribe was elected to Bogota's city council at the age of 25, being a key opponent of Petro, the then mayor of the capital. He criticised Petro's ways of handling waste management and social programs. In 2016, a 30-year-old Uribe was appointed city government secretary, the youngest person to hold the position. He resigned from that office in 2018 to launch an unsuccessful run for mayor of Bogota as an Independent. ALSO READ | Colombia arrests man behind assassination attempt of senator Miguel Uribe Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Center party in the 2022 legislative elections with the "Colombia First" slogan, securing a seat in the chamber. He made a place for himself in the chamber, becoming one of the primary forces against Petro, criticising the government's peace strategy aimed at ending Colombia's six-decade armed conflict. Uribe critiqued the government's move to halt the offensives on armed groups as peace talks failed, which led the administration's strategy to backfire. Miguel Uribe was running to be picked as the Democratic Center's candidate in the 2026 presidential election. Former President and leader of the right-wing opposition party, Alvaro Uribe, who is not related to the deceased Senator, described Miguel Uribe as "a hope for the homeland". What happened to Miguel Uribe? Miguel Uribe, a potential presidential candidate for the 2026 elections in Colombia, was shot thrice during a campaign rally in Bogota on June 7. According to AFP, he was shot twice in the head and once in the knee. The incident took place at the El Golfito Park in the Modelia neighborhood of the Fontibon district. Uribe was meeting supporters when a man allegedly approached from behind and opened fire. Bogota Mayor Carlon Fernando Galán had at the time confirmed that Uribe was rushed to emergency medical care. Colombian President Gustavo Petro released a statement that the government was 'categorically and forcefully' condemned the violent incident and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened.
