The funeral of the Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay He showed this Wednesday The boredom with violence, but also the deep political and ideological divisions of the right -wing opposition with the country’s left government.
The goodbye to Uribe Turbay, 39, who died last Monday, August 11, two months after being seriously injured in an attack, gathered a good part of the national political class in two solemn acts, one in the elliptical hall of the National Capitol, where he was veiled, and another in the Primada Cathedral.
(See: Colombia is not alone in ‘This’ difficult’ moment: Undersecretary of State of the United States.).
He also went to say goodbye to the Senator Right Democratic Center a representation of the US government formed by the Undersecretary of State, Christopher Landau; Republican senator Bernie Moreno and the head of the diplomatic mission of that country in Bogotá, John T. McNamara.
In both places the speakers praised the figure of the murdered senator, requested justice and advocated for the end of violence in politics, especially now that the country prepares for the legislative and presidential elections of 2026, with accusations for the crime against President Gustavo Petro.
“They murdered Miguel, who exercised the critical and reasoned opposition, with the instigation of revenge induced by the President of the Republic, which he found as a crutch accuse the former president (Julio César), grandfather of our martyr as a crutch and torturer“He said The ex -president Álvaro Uribe In a speech read in the Capitol by the National Director of the Democratic Center Party, Gabriel Vallejo.
(See: ‘We know where the violence comes from’: Miguel Uribe’s father, at the funeral of the senator).
Former President Uribe, who at the beginning of the month was sentenced to 12 years in jail In household regime for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal action, he could not attend the funeral of the senator, but sent a speech with harsh accusations against Petro.
“In his rabid signaling, the President of the Republic wanted to ignore the contribution that to the peace process with the M-19 gave former president Turbay and Diana, Miguel’s mother, murdered by narcoterrorism“In 1991, Uribe added.
Those comments were a reference to Petro messages in his X account in which he pointed to former President Turbay (1978-1982) to carry “to ten thousand Colombians to torture“During his government, in which he faced The so -called ‘Security StatuteD ‘ The fight against the guerrillas of M-19, of which the president was part of today in his youth.
“In the history of the magnicide of our homeland there have been political hatred and criminal actions, but we are facing the exceptional case of presidential discourse, instigator“The former president Uribe added, without kinship with the senator.
Funeral of Miguel Uribe Turbay.
AFP
Petro responds to Uribe
Hours later, Petro responded with a message on his X account in which he said: “Álvaro Uribe is full of poison, he does not know the genocide of the Patriotic Union (UP) and the participation of the State in it“
The UP, which today is part of the official party Historical Pact, He was born in 1985 as part of an attempt to agree to the then President Belisario Betancur with the FARC guerrillas, but in the following years the formation was the victim of a genocide.
(See: ‘I am going to love you every day of my life’: the emotional farewell of Miguel Uribe’s wife).
At least 5,733 members of this Colombian Left party were killed or missing, Among them the presidential candidates Jaime Pardo Leal (1987) and Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa (1990), according to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).
The country asks for ‘a change’
“This war has guilty and responsible, we know. We have no doubt where violence comes from. We have no doubt who promotes it. We have no doubt who allows it. We have to stand up to this and say: no more, no more, no more. We cannot stay in resignation and simple passivity“He said for his part Miguel Uribe Londoño, father of the murdered politician, in the farewell in the cathedral.
After pointing out that “the country is clear about where violence comes from,” Uribe Londoño said the bullets “silenced Miguel, but they will not be able to silence the voice of millions of Colombians screaming a change.”
(See: Álvaro Uribe’s speech in tribute to Miguel Uribe is ‘full of poison’, says Petro).
“We have a unique opportunity to stop this madness in 2026. We do not miss it,” he said about next year’s elections and invited “to fight together to build a country without violence, a country of opportunities, a Colombia with a future.”
Those words were in tune with those of the President of the Senate, Lidio García, who said it is “a duty of all” clarify the murder of Uribe Turbay, of whom he said that “it was a light on dark days” and that is why “it hurts in the soul that in Colombia those lights like Miguel go out in full spring.”
“We have to act, we have to lower the tone of the incendiary words, banish the aggression of the debate, close the cracks that divide us“Garcia said when demanding the tone of political discussion, characterized by strong polarization.
Funeral of Miguel Uribe Turbay.
AFP
Due to that political tension, Neither Petro nor anyone from his cabinet attended the funeral at the express request of the family.
“We are not going (no) because we do not want, we simply respect the family and prevent the funeral of Senator Miguel Uribe being taken by the supporters of hatred“The president said in X.
(See: Former President Uribe accuses President Petro to instigate murder of Uribe Turbay).
EFE
