Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, a rising presidential hopeful of the Democratic Center party, has died at age 39, more than two months after being critically wounded during a campaign rally in Bogotá. Uribe was shot three times, twice in the head and once in the leg, on June 7 while delivering a speech in the Modelia neighborhood, prompting immediate emergency surgeries and a prolonged fight for survival in intensive care.
From the outset, his condition was described as critical; despite an initial sign of neurological improvement, his health took a grave turn following a severe hemorrhage in his central nervous system, leading to his passing on August 11 at the Fundación Santa Fe hospital . The tragedy has reignited painful echoes of Colombia’s violent political past and raised alarm nationwide over the return of politically motivated bloodshed.
Uribe’s family, deeply scarred by earlier political violence, his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in the 1990s after being kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel, now mourns another personal and national tragedy. His wife, María Claudia Tarazona, took to social media with a poignant message: “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”.
Authorities swiftly arrested a teenage suspect at the scene, using a 9 mm Glock-style pistol, and have since detained several others, including alleged coordinators who may have orchestrated the attack. The government offered a sizable reward and continues cooperation with international partners to identify intellectual authors behind the assassination attempt.
Uribe had emerged as a prominent voice of the right, advocating firm security measures and economic investment. His political pedigree was notable, grandson of former President Julio César Turbay Ayala and known for his rise from Bogotá city council to national senator by 2022. Former President Álvaro Uribe, no relation, called his passing a crushing blow to hope, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed solidarity with Colombia and his family, demanding justice for those responsible.
As Colombia prepares for its 2026 presidential election, Uribe Turbay’s death casts a long, somber shadow, raising pressing questions about political security, democratic resilience, and the specter of history repeating itself.
