Latest news with #UribeTurbay
Herald Malaysia
12-08-2025
- Politics
- Herald Malaysia
Colombian senator dies 2 months after being shot by assassin
Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay died Monday morning, Aug. 11, just over two months after being shot by a hitman, his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed. The politician was hospitalized at the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital in Bogotá. Aug 12, 2025 Miguel Uribe Turbay. | Credit: LuigiVenegas, Original uploader (2019), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By David Ramos Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe Turbay died Monday morning, Aug. 11, just over two months after being shot by a hitman, his wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed. The politician was hospitalized at the Santa Fe Foundation Hospital in Bogotá. 'You will 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 father to Alejandro. I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you,' Tarazona wrote on Instagram early this morning. Born on Jan. 28, 1986, in Bogotá, Colombia, Uribe Turbay was the son of businessman Miguel Uribe and journalist Diana Turbay, who was murdered in 1991 after being kidnapped by the order of Pablo Escobar, the head of the Medellín Cartel. Uribe Turbay, whose family background is Maronite Catholic, held various public offices until he was elected to the country's Senate in 2022 as a candidate for the Democratic Center political party — led by former President Álvaro Uribe — and had strong prospects ahead of the 2026 presidential elections. On June 7, as part of his campaign to get on the ballot, he participated in a political event in Fontibón on the west side of the Bogotá capital district where he was the victim of the attack that claimed his life early this morning after nearly two months in critical condition. In addition to his wife, Uribe Turbay is survived by his young son, Alejandro, and three daughters from his wife's previous relationship. Cardinal Rueda: It's a time to unite as a country The archbishop of Bogotá and primate of Colombia, Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio, urged the country to hold on to hope despite the pain caused by Uribe Turbay's death. 'Is not this the time to call on all Colombians to reject all forms of violence and walk together in hope. This is not a time for us to be divided, it is a time to unite,' he said. In a video released by the Archdiocese of Bogotá, the cardinal also expressed his solidarity with the Uribe Turbay family and assured them that the Church is praying for the senator's eternal rest. 'I also invite all families in Colombia to pray. Let us pray for Colombia. Let us pray for the children. Let us pray for the youth. Let us pray for peace. And let us pray to God to give us a renewed heart and a new conscience so that we may be able to work for the unity of Colombia, reject all forms of violence, and be able to meet and dialogue together in the midst of conflict,' he said. Father Ramón Zambrano, founder of the television channel Cristovisión, also expressed his condolences. 'May Miguel Uribe Turbay rest in peace. May he enjoy eternal life that the Lord grants to the just. May God bless and strengthen his wife and his entire family,' he wrote on X. 'May the blood of the martyrs be a seed of hope so that we may commit ourselves to forging a country where we don't turn our backs on God,' he added. Colombia mourns Other political leaders also expressed their condolences following the death of the Colombian senator. Former President Álvaro Uribe posted on X: 'Evil destroys everything; they have killed hope. May Miguel's struggle be a light that illuminates the right path for Colombia.' Former Colombian President Iván Duque said that 'terrorism robbed us of a promising figure for Colombia and a leader of integrity and transparency… Colombia mourns but will not surrender to the criminals who snuffed out the life of an admirable young man.' Carlos Galán, mayor of Bogotá and son of Luis Carlos Galán — a presidential candidate assassinated on the orders of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar in 1989 — recognized Uribe Turbay as 'a great human being, an honest and courageous leader, a politician with a true vocation for service.' 'His assassination should be a turning point for Colombia. We cannot accept violence in our country,' he added, calling for this crime to not go unpunished. Colombian authorities have arrested members of the crime gang accused of organizing the assasination, which was carried out by a 15-year-old boy. --CNA
Epoch Times
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
US Politicians Mourn Death of Colombian Presidential Candidate Miguel Uribe, Call for Justice
U.S. politicians and congressmen reacted on Aug. 11 to the death of Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, calling for justice for the perpetrators of his assassination. Uribe Turbay, of the Colombian conservative Centro Democrático party, died early this morning after spending more than two months in a hospital following an attack in which he was shot twice in the head and once in the leg during an election event in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogotá on June 7.
Miami Herald
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Assassination attempt claims life of rising Colombian political star Miguel Uribe
Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay died Monday, two months after an assassination attempt that left him with severe gunshot wounds to the head. He was 38. His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, confirmed his death in a heartfelt post on X. 'You will always be the love of my life. Thank you for a life full of love, thank you for being the best father to our children. I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you. Our love transcends this physical plane. Wait for me… Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children,' she wrote. Uribe, a candidate for the right-wing opposition party Democratic Center, was attacked June 7 during a campaign event in Bogotá's Modelia neighborhood. He was shot twice in the head and once in the leg. Despite multiple surgeries and signs of recovery, his condition took a turn last week. The Santa Fe Foundation, the hospital where he was treated, said Friday his health had deteriorated in the previous 48 hours 'to a critical state due to an episode of hemorrhage in the central nervous system.' The shooting shocked Colombia and sparked a wave of solidarity. Thousands marched in Bogotá and more than 20 other cities to denounce political violence. His death rekindled memories of the 1990 assassinations of presidential hopefuls Luis Carlos Galán, Bernardo Jaramillo and Carlos Pizarro. Uribe Turbay launched his presidential campaign in March, running on a platform focused on security, economic growth and foreign investment. While not leading in the polls, he was seen as a rising star in the conservative opposition and a sharp critic of leftist President Gustavo Petro. He began his political career at age 25 as a Bogotá city council member, later serving as secretary of Government under Mayor Enrique Peñalosa. In 2022, he was elected to the Senate after joining the Democratic Center at the invitation of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, to whom he was not related. A member of one of Colombia's most prominent political families, Uribe was the grandson of former President Julio César Turbay Ayala and liberal leader Rodrigo Uribe Echavarría. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped and killed by the Medellín Cartel in 1991 when Uribe Turbay was just four years old — a personal tragedy he invoked during his campaign. 'It was here where my mother was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar,' he said in a video recorded last year in the Antioquian mountains.
Sky News
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay dies after campaign rally shooting
A Colombian senator who had been hoping to become the country's next president has died in hospital two months after being shot at a campaign rally. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Centre Party, was shot in the head and leg on 7 June. The 39-year-old's death was confirmed by his wife. Santa Fe Foundation hospital, in the capital Bogota, said the senator died early on Monday, after it previously revealed his condition had worsened over the weekend. The shooting happened during a political event at a park in the Fontibon neighbourhood of the capital. A teenage suspect was arrested at the scene and authorities have since detained several other people. Mr Uribe Turbay underwent multiple surgeries before his death. In a social media post, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona wrote: "I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you. "Rest in peace, love of my life, I will take care of our children." The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of politicians in the country. The last time Colombians saw this kind of political violence against presidential candidates was when drug lord Pablo Escobar declared war on the state in the 1990s. Mr Uribe Turbay's mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was a victim in this period and died in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the drug cartel. Despite his mother's death when he was a boy, Mr Uribe Turbay later became a prominent public figure and enjoyed a rapid rise in politics. He was known for his criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro's administration. 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
11-08-2025
- 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.'
