Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe has died about two months after an assassination attempt. He was shot in the head on June 7 during a campaign event in the capital, Bogotá. Since then, he had undergone several surgeries. The politician’s death was announced by his family on Monday.
Uribe was 39 years old. Uribe had experienced a rapid political rise. He was considered the face of the right-wing opposition party Centro Democrático. Uribe became known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro’s government.
At the age of 25, Uribe was elected to the Bogotá City Council, where he made a name for himself as a prominent opponent of then-mayor Petro. In the 2022 parliamentary elections, Uribe headed his party’s Senate list and entered the chamber.
A Family History Marked by Tragedy Uribe’s death adds another chapter to a family history marked by misfortune. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a failed rescue operation. She had been kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel of drug lord Pablo Escobar.
His maternal grandfather, Julio César Turbay, was president of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. His paternal grandfather led the Liberal Party. Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy as a suspect. The attack, which was also captured on video, has shaken Colombia and brought back memories of the political violence of past decades. The country has long been mired in conflict with leftist rebels and criminal groups descended from right-wing paramilitaries.
