Colombia: Young murderer of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe sentenced to 7 years in prison

The 15-year-old boy who fatally shot Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay on June 7 was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in prison, prosecutors announced. He will "spend seven years in a specialized care center" for minors and will not be transferred to an adult prison when he turns 18, the source said.

Right-wing favorite for the 2026 presidential election, Miguel Uribe Turbay, 39, was hit by two bullets to the head during a rally in Bogota. He died on August 11 from his injuries despite undergoing several surgeries. Authorities believe a guerrilla group was behind his death, which revived memories of the 1980s and 1990s, when five Colombian presidential candidates were assassinated in the country, which was in the grip of a new outbreak of violence.

"We respect this decision, but..."

Quickly arrested, the young gunman, whose identity has not been revealed, was charged in early August with "attempted murder" and "illegal possession of weapons." These charges could not be reclassified after Uribe Turbay's death under Colombian law, and the teenager was therefore charged with attempted murder, not homicide. He is suspected of having been a mere henchman acting for those who ordered the shooting.

Miguel Uribe Turbay's lawyer, Victor Mosquera, noted on X that under the law, "one of the harshest sentences was imposed on the minor." He added: "We respect this decision, but this sentence will never be commensurate with the life he took or the pain he caused. This law encourages criminals to use minors without facing real and effective sanctions."

On July 5, Colombian police announced the arrest of the alleged organizer of the attack, José Arteaga Hernández, a criminal gang leader in the capital. Miguel Uribe's lawyer said the attack was ordered behind the scenes by a "structured organization" with a "history of attacks against right-wing (political leaders)."

A suspected guerrilla

Authorities have identified the "Segunda Marquetalia" group, a splinter group of the now-defunct Marxist FARC guerrilla group, as the likely sponsor. Miguel Uribe Turbay, a member of the Democratic Center party of former right-wing President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010, with whom he is not related), had announced his intention to run in the May 2026 presidential election.

Opposed to the 2016 peace agreement that disarmed the FARC guerrillas, he advocated a policy focused on combating drug trafficking. The attack occurred on June 7 during a rally in a park in a working-class neighborhood of the capital. Videos showed Miguel Uribe Turbay collapsing, bleeding, mid-speech, amidst the shouts of the audience. The minor hit him three times, including twice in the head. Uribe's bodyguards wounded his leg as he tried to flee on foot.

Following the assassination, the senator's father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, 79, decided to take his place as the right-wing presidential candidate in the 2026 elections. Miguel Uribe Turbay's mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was herself assassinated in 1991 while in the hands of drug lord Pablo Escobar.

On August 21, attacks by armed groups left 19 dead and dozens injured in Cali and near Medellin, exposing President Gustavo Petro to criticism for his strategy of dialogue with them, rather than a head-on war.