Death Announced Two Months After Attack
Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay died on Monday, more than two months after being shot at a campaign rally in Bogotá. His wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, announced his death on social media, writing, “I ask God to show me the way to learn to live without you. Rest in peace… I will take care of our children.” Uribe, 39, was a member of the right-wing Democratic Center party and a potential candidate for the 2026 presidential elections.
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Hospital Confirms Death
The Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation, where Uribe had been hospitalised since June 7, confirmed his death in the early hours of Monday. The hospital had warned on Saturday that Uribe was in “critical condition” following a “haemorrhagic episode in the central nervous system.” The senator underwent several neurosurgeries but did not recover. He was shot in the head during a rally in the capital’s Modelia neighbourhood.
Political Leaders Respond
Former Colombian president Iván Duque Márquez called Uribe “an upright and transparent leader” and said “terrorism” had taken his life. Duque added, “Colombia mourns, but it will not surrender to the criminals who took the life of an admirable young man.” Another former president, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, who was not related to the senator, stated, “Evil destroys everything; they killed hope. May Miguel’s struggle be a light that illuminates the right path for Colombia.” Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez said, “This is a sad day for the country. Violence can’t continue to mark our destiny.”
Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento del senador y precandidato presidencial @MiguelUribeT. A su familia, amigos y seguidores les envío toda mi solidaridad en este momento de dolor.
Hoy es un día triste para el país. La violencia no puede seguir marcando nuestro destino. La…
— Francia Márquez Mina (@FranciaMarquezM) August 11, 2025
Investigation and Arrests
Some six individuals including a 15-year-old boy, were arrested in relation to the shooting with one of the suspects being arrested at the scene. The youngster was hit with attempted homicide and illegal possession of a weapon and in the future prosecutors alleged he belonged to a hitman network. Criminals have all pleaded not guilty. Investigations are underway and the authorities are yet to ascertain who gave the hit order. Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez said, “Our institutions will continue to work hard to identify and bring to justice all those responsible for this attack. We will not allow violent individuals to intimidate or silence the political voices that our democracy requires.”
A Family Marked by Violence
Uribe himself belonged to a political family that had a background associated with the unruly Colombian history. His grandfather was Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala, who was the president between 1978 and 1982. Solidarity with Colombia is an organisation that helps to raise the rights of workers created by his grandmother, Nydia Quintero Turbay de Balcazarr. In 1990, Uribe was the son of journalist Diana Turbay, who was kidnapped by the Medellin cartel headed by Pablo Escobar and murdered when being rescued in 1991. The use of the term forgiveness though never forgetting the violence that dominated Uribe came out in his speeches most of the time.
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Political Career and Criticism of Government Policy
A graduate of Bogotá’s Universidad de los Andes and Harvard’s Kennedy School, Uribe began his career in local politics before entering the Senate miguel in 2022. In 2023, at the site of his mother’s murder, he announced his 2026 presidential bid. Uribe criticised President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” strategy, which aimed to negotiate with guerrilla and criminal groups. He argued that the policy emboldened criminals and left parts of Colombia vulnerable. Political consultant Andrés Mejía said the assassination “adds to the profound sense of gloom” amid worsening security and demonstrates “the deep overall deterioration of things in Colombia.”
Impact on Colombia’s Political Landscape
The death of Uribe is likely to alter the 2026 presidential race which did not have a front-runner yet. His miguel assassination, according to analysts, lowers the miguel confidence in stability in Colombia as Petro’s term ends. The killing of four presidential candidates has drawn parallels to those assassinations in the peak miguel of cartel violence of 1980s and early 1990s. Similar trends of organised crime-related political violence are also cited in the Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio being killed in 2023.
Public Mourning and International Reaction
Thousands of Colombians protested in cities across the country, wearing white and miguel demanding an end to violence. The march in Bogota was the biggest event in the capital over ten years. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised that the United States was in solidarity with his family, the Colombian people, in mourning, as well as demanding justice for those who were guilty.
