Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, who had been hospitalized since he was shot in the head in June during a campaign event, has died.
Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, he was 39.
Uribe, a potential presidential candidate from the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota on June 7 during a rally and underwent multiple surgeries before his death.
The death of Uribe adds further tragedy to his family’s fraught history. His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 during a botched rescue mission after she was kidnapped by the Medellin Cartel, headed by drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Uribe himself has enjoyed a rapid political rise, becoming a recognized lawmaker for the right-wing Democratic Center party and presidential hopeful known for his sharp criticism of leftist President Gustavo Petro’s administration.
At 25, he was elected to Bogota’s city council, where he was a prominent opponent of Petro, then the capital’s mayor, criticizing his handling of waste management and social programs.
In the 2022 legislative elections, Uribe led the Senate slate for the Democratic Center party with the slogan “Colombia First,” winning a seat in the chamber.