Colombian Teenager Sentenced for Assassination of Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay
A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention for shooting Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay at a rally in Bogotá in June.
The conservative senator, who was 39, underwent multiple surgeries after being hit by three bullets but died on 11 August.
The teenager was charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms. After years of relative peace, the shooting shocked Colombians, reminding many of the political violence experienced during the 1980s and 90s, when numerous presidential candidates were assassinated.
Five other individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with the attack, including suspected criminal Élder José Arteaga Hernández. Authorities believe a dissident group of the former leftist Farc rebels orchestrated the assassination.
Uribe was shot in the head at a campaign rally on 7 June, with footage of the incident circulating widely online. Local reports indicate the teenager claimed, I did it for money for my family, after his arrest.
The senator was a popular member of the right-wing Democratic Centre party, seeking his party’s nomination for the 2026 presidential election. His father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, announced his own presidential run, aiming to preserve his son's legacy, a sentiment that's poignant as Uribe Londoño himself faced political violence years ago.
His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped by a cartel in 1990 and was shot dead during a rescue attempt—a history that profoundly shaped Uribe's own political journey.
