Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe seriously injured during campaign event in Bogotá

Colombian society witnessed the horror of political violence on June 7. At a political campaign event in the capital of Colombia, Miguel Uribe Turbay, a senator from the opposition Democratic Center party and a candidate for president of Colombia, was attacked - he was shot, UNN reports with reference to El Pais.

Details

In Colombia, an opposition candidate in next year's presidential election was seriously injured as a result of the use of firearms during an election event in Bogota.

Social networks were filled with photos of the attack, which show 39-year-old Uribe Turbay speaking to his supporters in the city of Fontibon, when a man approached from behind to shoot the right-wing politician. One of the bullets hit him in the head, local media reported.

According to media reports, the shooting suspect was a 15-year-old boy. He was arrested. The mayor of Bogota, Carlos Galan, confirmed that the alleged attacker had been caught. According to the authorities, two more people were injured in the attack.

The attack on the young politician caused shock on both sides of the country's political spectrum.

Former right-wing President Alvaro Uribe – leader of Uribe Turbay's Democratic Center party – also condemned the violence against one of his pre-candidates, saying the attack was an attack "against the hope of the nation."

On the other hand, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist, used his social networks to condemn the attack and express his solidarity with the Uribe Turbay family:

Colombia should not kill its children, because they are also our children

The President of Colombia cancelled his planned trip to France to attend the UN Ocean Summit to monitor the situation after the attack.

It should be noted that Uribe is a staunch critic of Petro. The senator announced last October that he would run for president in 2026.

Uribe criticizes the main directions of the policy of Colombian President Petro, including his ambitious "Full Peace" against illegal armed groups and his reforms of the health care, labor and pension systems. The senator also accuses the president of undermining the constitutional order and institutional stability of the Colombian state.

Reference

Uribe comes from a family that has long shaped the country's politics. His grandfather, Julio Cesar Turbay, was president of the South American country from 1978 to 1982. His mother, Diana Turbay, was a well-known journalist who was kidnapped by the Medellin cartel of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. She died during a failed military rescue attempt in 1991. Miguel Uribe is not related to former President Alvaro Uribe, who heads his Democratic Center party.

Let us remind you

UNN reported that Colombia declared a state of emergency due to violence between guerrilla groups, which led to the death of 100 people. The authorities deployed 5,000 troops and evacuated nearly 20,000 people from three departments.