Latest news with #Turbay
Hans India
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Two months after being shot, Colombia Presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay dies
Colombian senator and presidential hopeful, Miguel Uribe Turbay, died on Monday, more than two months after he was shot during a political rally in Bogota. 39-year-old Turbay was shot during a political rally in El Golfito Park in Bogota's Fontibon on June 7 and was immediately taken to a nearby medical centre. Due to severe injuries, he was shifted to the Santa Fe Foundation for surgery and remained hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Colombia-based El Espectador reported. The senator was shot three times - once in his left leg at the knee and twice at the hit. He was undergoing treatment for his injuries at the Santa Fe Foundation, but an intracranial hemorrhage worsened his condition this weekend. The bodyguards of Turbay have captured the alleged hitman who is a 15-year-old boy. The attacker reportedly used a nine-millimeter Glock pistol and fired eight shots, three of which seriously wounded the presidential candidate. The captured young man was undergoing treatment at a medical centre in Bogota as he was also injured in the chase which ended in his arrest. A judge has already legalised hitman's arrest and the Prosecutor's Office charged him with illegal possession of weapons and attempted murder, which he denied, El Espectador reported. The suspect was taken to the bunker where he will serve the prison sentence announced by the judge. Investigators in the case have carried out approximately 30 interviews and analysed hundreds of hours of surveillance video to clarify the events. So far, they have shared no clues as to who hired the attacker or who was mastermind behind the attack. Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was born in Bogoto on January 28, 1986, into a family with strong ties to politics. He studied in Los Nogales High School and later studied law at the University of the Andes. He also secured a Master's degree in Public Policy from the same institution. At the age of 25, Turbay was elected by the Liberal Party as a Bogota Councillor in 2012, which was the start of his career in Colombian politics. In 2015, former Bogota Mayor Enrique Penalosa invited him to join his administration, and he was sworn in as Secretary of Government. In 2018, he resigned to run for Mayor of Bogota, however, he did not win. In 2021, the Democratic Center party announced that Miguel Uribe Turbay would lead on its Senate ticket. During the elections in 2022, he was elected Colombia's senator with 223,167 votes. He married Maria Claudia Tarazona in 2016 and the couple share one son.
Al-Ahram Weekly
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Miguel Uribe: Slain Colombian politician with a tragic past - International
Three decades after his mother was fatally shot while being held by kidnappers, Colombian senator Miguel Uribe's assassination reopens old wounds for a family, and a country, traumatized by political and narco violence. Uribe's life was forever changed at the age of four when his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in a botched police operation in January 1991 to free her from cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel. Turbay, 40, was snatched on her way to what she had been falsely led to believe would be an exclusive TV interview with a guerrilla commander. Instead, she became a pawn in the terror campaign Escobar launched to try to stop the extradition of drug traffickers such as himself to the United States. Nearly five months after she was taken, Turbay was critically wounded in the gunfight that broke out when police stormed the kidnappers' lair. Robbed of their mother, Uribe and his older sister Maria Carolina grew up in a prominent family as the grandchildren of former president Julio Cesar Turbay (1978 to 1982). Moments before a teen gunman opened fire at close range on June 7, shooting him in the head and leg, Uribe had been reminiscing about his mother and described himself as someone who had experienced violence "in the flesh." As a child, he was a chess fanatic with dreams of becoming world champion. But he studied law instead, and obtained a master's degree in public administration at Harvard University. Uribe was elected to Bogota's city council at age 26, later becoming its youngest-ever chairperson and then the mayor's right-hand man. In 2019, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Bogota, but three years later, he was elected a senator -- receiving the most votes of any candidate in the country. He took a seat for the conservative Democratic Center party, with which he had been hoping to go all the way to Colombia's presidency. But on June 7, as he addressed a political rally in Bogota, Uribe was shot at close range three times -- twice in the head -- allegedly by a 15-year-old who was hired for the job. After two months in intensive care and signs of progress, doctors said Saturday that he had suffered a new brain haemorrhage. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, with whom he had a son, announced two days later that Uribe had died. Forgiveness Uribe's shooting has shocked a nation trying to extricate itself from decades of violence perpetrated by armed groups, who compete over illegal mining and the drug trafficking trade, fighting each other and the state. Four presidential candidates were assassinated during the worst phase of violence in the 1980s and 1990s under Escobar, who terrorized citizens of Bogota, Medellin and elsewhere with a campaign of bombings. In a 2021 interview with Bocas magazine, Uribe said he had forgiven those responsible for the kidnapping of his mother, who wrote in a diary during her captivity that she was worried about the future of little "Miguelito." "Reconciliation is the only thing that helps one ... overcome such a difficult moment," he told the publication. "I understood that ... nothing I did would bring my mom back, and that forgiving, on the other hand, would enrich me as a person and allow me to live without burden." 'Hope of the country' Former president Alvaro Uribe -- founder of the Democratic Center party and unrelated to the assassinated senator -- said on X the attacker had sought to extinguish a "hope of the country." During his political career, the younger Uribe had made security a key campaign issue. His mother's death forged in him "a firm conviction to fight against violence and narco-terrorism," according to his website. Despite not being able to fulfil his chess ambitions, he founded an organisation to bring the sport to underprivileged young people "as a tool for personal and social development." He also played the guitar and accordion, and liked to sing. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Epoch Times
11-06-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Hospital Says Columbian Presidential Hopeful Uribe Turbay Remains in Critical Condition
The University Hospital Fundación Santa Fe, where Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after being shot in an attempted assassination on Saturday, said on Monday that he remains in critical condition. His wife says Turbay 'needs a miracle.' 'The Fundación Santa Fe Bogotá, with the authorization of the family, informs that patient Miguel Uribe Turbay remains in critical condition and has had little response to medical interventions and treatment,' the hospital
LeMonde
10-06-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Political tensions erupt in Colombia after assassination attempt on opposition leader
Hundreds of demonstrators wearing white shirts and waving white flags marched throughout Colombia on Sunday, June 8, to denounce violence and show solidarity with right-wing lawmaker and potential 2026 presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, who was attacked on Saturday in the Colombian capital. At dusk, dozens of supporters continued to pray for his speedy recovery outside the Santa Fe Clinic in northern Bogotá. "Out with Petro!" some protesters occasionally chanted. The right accused left-wing President Gustavo Petro of inciting hatred in the country and leading Colombia to disaster, arguing he was indirectly responsible for the attack. Turbay remained in intensive care on Sunday evening after undergoing an initial surgery. His condition was still described as "very critical," according to a statement from the clinic's medical team. "Miguel is still fighting hard for his life, and I ask each of you to continue to pray fervently," said his wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona. The assassination attempt comes one year before the May 2026 presidential election, which has already gripped attention and heightened tensions among political leaders. Turbay is seeking the nomination of his party, the far-right Democratic Centre (CD), founded by former President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010). The two men are not related.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senator 'Fighting for His Life' After He Was Shot While Speaking to Supporters at a Park, Teen Arrested
A senator and presidential hopeful was shot multiple times during an event with supporters at a public park on June 7 Miguel Uribe Turbay was speaking with locals in the Fontibón neighborhood of Colombia when the incident took place 'He is fighting for his life," the politician's wife said in a statementA presidential hopeful was shot multiple times while speaking to supporters at a public park over the weekend. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a senator part of Colombia's center-right Centro Democrático party, was attacked on Saturday, June 7, while in the Fontibón neighborhood of the country's capital Bogotá. A 15-year-old, who was carrying a Glock-style pistol, has since been arrested, according to CNN and the BBC, both of which cited the local attorney general's office. Colombia's president Gustavo Petro said during a television appearance later that day that it wasn't clear if the teen was acting alone, per The New York Times. According to an update shared on X by Turbay's wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, the senator was "fighting for his life" following the shooting. She thanked his supporters for their "solidarity" and "prayers" in a later statement on Sunday, June 8, writing that updates about his health would be shared by the hospital. 'He came out well from the surgery,' his wife later told reporters, per CNN, which cited the Agence France-Presse (AFP). 'He fought the first battle and fought it well. He is fighting for his life.' Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, the hospital where Turbay was admitted, announced in a statement on June 8 that the politician was treated with procedures on his head and his left thigh and remains in intensive care. The hospital called his condition "extremely serious." The BBC reported that Turbay was shot three times on June 7, including twice in the head. Turbay was speaking to supporters at the park over the weekend when loud bangs rang out. He fell to the ground after appearing to be shot from behind, according to widely shared footage from the scene. Later footage showed supporters assisting and carrying the presidential candidate, who appeared to be covered in blood, as he was placed near the hood of a white car. At least three other people were also shot at the park, including a 20-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and a 15-year-old, the Secretaría de Salud de Bogotá said. Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said on June 8, per CNN, that Turbay has since entered 'the critical hours' of recovery following his own procedures. President Petro added during his broadcast on June 7 that "no resource should be spared" when tracking down those responsible for the shooting. "Not a single peso," he said, per the Times, adding that Turbay's security would be investigated for protocol failures. Eyewitness Victor Mosquera told reporters outside of the hospital that he was near the senator during the shooting and still had blood on his clothing while outside of the hospital, per the Times. 'Everyone was screaming and running,' he said, adding, "When I turned around, I saw Miguel lying next to me.' Pedro Sánchez, Colombia's defense minister, has since announced on X that a reward is being offered of up to 3 billion Colombian pesos — roughly $728,000 — for more information. Read the original article on People
