Colombian senator dies two months after being shot

Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe has died two months after being shot within the head in a focused assault which shocked the South American nation.

The 39-year-old was hit by three bullets – two of them within the head and one within the leg – at a marketing campaign rally on 7 June within the capital, Bogotá.

His spouse confirmed his loss of life on social media, paying tribute to “the love of my life”.

An adolescent has been arrested on suspicion of finishing up the capturing, however the motive behind the assault continues to be unclear.

Uribe’s spouse, María Claudia Tarazona, thanked her late husband for “a life full of affection” and for being “the most effective father” for his or her youngsters.

In accordance with an announcement printed on Saturday by the hospital the place Uribe was being handled, the senator had suffered a bleed to his central nervous system and was on account of endure surgical procedure.

He had already had a number of surgical procedures since he was first taken to the Santa Fe clinic in June.

His spouse had requested folks to hope for his restoration and hundreds had turned out at vigils and rallies to indicate their help.

Uribe, who had been a senator since 2022, had been in search of his social gathering’s nomination for the 2026 presidential election.

He was fashionable within the polls and recognised as an up-and-coming determine within the right-wing Democratic Centre social gathering, identified for his outspoken criticism of the present left-wing president, Gustavo Petro.

President Petro’s workplace launched an announcement expressing its condolences to the household of the slain politician.

Uribe was attending a political occasion in a middle-class neighbourhood of the capital when he was shot.

A teenage suspect was arrested as he was fleeing the scene. The 15-year-old has been charged with tried homicide and pleaded not responsible.

A number of others have been detained on suspicion of aiding the gunman.

The brazen assault on the senator has introduced again reminiscences of the turbulent many years of the Eighties and 90s in Colombia, when a number of presidential candidates and influential Colombian figures had been assassinated.

Uribe’s personal mom, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped by Los Extraditables in 1990 – an alliance created by main drug lords.

She was held hostage by them for 5 months earlier than being shot useless throughout a botched rescue try.

Uribe typically cited her as his inspiration to run for political workplace “to work for our nation”.

Los Extraditables, who mentioned they would like a grave in Colombia to a jail cell within the US, kidnapped and attacked famend Colombians in an try and drive the federal government on the time to overturn its extradition treaty with the US.

In latest many years, Colombia’s safety indicators have considerably improved, and in 2016 a historic peace settlement was reached between the federal government and the leftist guerrilla group, Farc.

In 2024, Colombia recorded a homicide price of 25.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, the bottom previously 4 years, in response to safety analysis group Perception Crime.

In 1990, the murder price exceeded 70 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Nevertheless, Colombia’s homicide price stays among the many highest within the area, alongside these Ecuador, Brazil, and Honduras.

Politicians, members of the safety forces, union leaders, environmentalists, and social leaders continuously face loss of life threats, strain, and assaults.

Varied armed teams are engaged in a bloody territorial disputes within the nation, typically additionally clashing with the safety forces.

Laura Bonilla, deputy director of the Peace and Reconciliation Basis in Colombia (Pares), mentioned that “the political outlook will now rely on who manages to capitalize on the narrative of safety”.

Ms Bonilla advised BBC Information Mundo that the scenario within the wake of Senator Uribe’s killing was seemingly to offer extra prominence to right-wing politicians and their rhetoric.

Vice-President Francia Márquez urged Colombians to unite and reject all violent acts, telling them that “violence can not proceed to mark our democracy”.

“Democracy just isn’t constructed with bullets or blood; it’s constructed with respect, dialogue and recognizing our variations, no matter political place.”

Uribe’s loss of life additionally made waves past Colombia with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the many first to publish following the announcement of his loss of life to demand that these accountable be dropped at justice.