Claudia Tarazona, the spouse of opposition Sen. and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe, who died from wounds suffered when he was shot throughout a political rally, attends a ceremony honoring her husband, at Congress in Bogota, Colombia on Monday.
Fernando Vergara/AP
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Fernando Vergara/AP
BOGOTA, Colombia — A Colombian senator and presidential hopeful whose capturing at a political rally in June recalled among the darkest chapters of the nation’s drug-fueled violence died Monday.
The household of Miguel Uribe Turbay mentioned the politician died at a hospital within the capital, Bogota. Uribe, 39, was shot 3 times, twice within the head, whereas giving a marketing campaign speech in a park and had since remained in an intensive care unit in severe situation with episodes of slight enchancment.
“Rest in peace, love of my life. I will take care of our children,” his spouse, María Claudia Tarazona, wrote in a social media submit confirming his loss of life. “I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you.”
A teenage suspect was arrested on the scene of the June 7 assault in a working-class Bogota neighborhood. Authorities later detained a number of different individuals, however they haven’t decided who ordered the hit or why.
The capturing, which was caught on a number of movies, alarmed Colombians who haven’t seen this type of political violence in opposition to presidential candidates since Medellin drug lord Pablo Escobar declared battle on the state within the Nineties.
Uribe’s personal mom, well-known journalist Diana Turbay, was among the many victims of that interval. She died throughout a police rescue after being kidnapped by a gaggle of drug traffickers led by Escobar looking for to dam their extradition to the US.
“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, who was simply 5 when his mom was killed, mentioned in an interview final yr with a Colombian information outlet.
Uribe, a lawyer with a masters diploma in public administration from Harvard College, entered politics as a councilman for Bogota when he was 26. In 2022, he was the most important vote-getter within the conservative Democratic Middle celebration led by former President Álvaro Uribe.
“Evil destroys everything,” the ex-president, who just isn’t associated to the senator, mentioned on social media. “They have killed hope. May Miguel’s struggle be a light that illuminates Colombia’s path.”
The senator was among the many strongest critics of Colombia’s present authorities. In October, he joined the listing of politicians looking for to interchange Gustavo Petro, the primary leftist to manipulate Colombia, within the Might 2026 elections.
Authorities have floated a number of hypotheses about what led to the assault, whereas allies of the candidate have complained that the federal government ignored repeated requests to bolster his state-provided safety element.
Petro took to X to supply condolences to Uribe’s household and stress that the “investigation must be furthered.”
“The government must repudiate the crime and help,” Petro wrote. “Regardless of ideology, the person and their family, their life and safety, are the government’s priority. We have not persecuted any member of the opposition, nor will we.”
Within the instant aftermath of the assault, tens of hundreds of individuals wearing white and waving Colombian flags took to the streets to reject the violence.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was among the many overseas politicians who lamented the senator’s loss of life.
“The United States stands in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, both in mourning and demanding justice for those responsible,” he posted on X.
By declaring his aspirations to increased workplace, Uribe sought to turn out to be the nation’s youngest president, though he was not on the listing of favorites within the early phases of the race when he was shot. The capturing prompted the federal government to strengthen safety for all opposition politicians and presidential hopefuls, a few of whom known as off political rallies for worry of being attacked.
Javier Garay, a political science professor on the Externado College of Colombia, mentioned Uribe has already “become a symbol of the Colombian right.” Nonetheless, he thought of it untimely to foretell whether or not the senator’s loss of life will strengthen the political faction, given the present lack of unity and numerous proposals from dozens of politicians vying to symbolize the bloc on subsequent yr’s poll.
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Related Press author Regina Garcia Cano contributed from Mexico Metropolis.
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Comply with AP’s protection of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
