The June 7, 2025, attack against the Colombian congressman and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is a blow to democracy, Human Rights Watch said today.
A 15-year-old boy shot and severely injured Uribe Turbay during a campaign event in Bogota, the country's capital. Uribe Turbay, a congressman for the right-wing party Centro Democrático, was speaking to supporters in Bogota in the lead-up to the party's internal process for selecting its presidential candidate for the May 2026 elections. Uribe Turbay remains in critical condition.
"The attack against Miguel Uribe Turbay is a chilling reminder of the darkest chapters of political violence in Colombia," said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "Colombian authorities should investigate this heinous crime, avoid incendiary political rhetoric, and strengthen protections for all political candidates."
Colombia will hold presidential elections in May 2026 to choose the successor to President Gustavo Petro, whose administration was elected on a left-wing platform. These elections come at a time when the country is facing an increased presence of illegal armed groups in many remote areas.
Violence has increased in recent years. Since 2016, homicides have increased by 20.9 percent, and kidnappings by 34.8 percent; mass forced displacements have reportedly quadrupled. Confinements - where communities are unable to move freely because of violent clashes in the area - increased more than tenfold. Colombia is the country with the highest number of human rights defenders killed worldwide, according to Frontline Defenders.
Colombia has a long history of political assassinations, which have been closely linked to waves of violence. Ahead of the 1990 elections, within less than eight months, three presidential candidates were assassinated by drug cartels and paramilitary groups: Luis Carlos Galán, Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa, and Carlos Pizarro Leongómez. Uribe Turbay's own mother, the journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord, and killed in 1991 during a failed rescue operation.
In the latest local elections, in 2023, the Electoral Observation Mission documented 176 acts of violence against candidates, including 6 assassinations.
The boy accused of shooting Uribe Turbay was apprehended a few blocks from the attack thanks to the swift response of Uribe Turbay's bodyguard. The Attorney General's Office and the police said at a news conference, that the Glock-type firearm used by the shooter was purchased in United States. Authorities are trying to trace how the weapon entered the country.
The Attorney General's Office announced that its investigators and the police are gathering evidence and other elements that will help build the case and identify and prosecute both the attackers and anyone who may have ordered the attack.
Colombian authorities should urgently investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable all those involved in the attack against Uribe Turbay, Human Rights Watch said. To do so effectively, they should ensure the protection of the suspect and his family. The government and leaders from opposition political parties should abstain from sharing theories about the attack that could compromise the independence and impartiality of the investigation.
The minister of interior had convened state institutions and political parties to a national commission to guarantee security and protection of candidates. Uribe Turbay's lawyer told media that they repeatedly requested that the National Protection Unit, the state entity in charge of security details, strengthen the candidate's security details, but that those requests were denied. Political leaders and other potential candidates have called on the government to guarantee protection for all candidates as the campaign proceeds.
Authorities should take effective steps to guarantee the safety of all presidential candidates ahead of the 2026 elections, Human Rights Watch said. This includes reassessing the risk levels and protection plans for every candidate, strengthening intelligence capabilities of security forces, improving coordination between institutions, and ensuring that rapid response mechanisms are in place.
Creating a safe and democratic electoral process will also require commitment to lower inflammatory rhetoric and reject hate speech that fuels polarization. This responsibility lies with the highest levels of the Colombian government, starting with President Gustavo Petro himself, and with all political parties and presidential candidates.
"Ensuring that every candidate can campaign free from fear or violence is essential to safeguarding Colombia's democracy," Goebertus said. "Colombia's political leaders need to defend peaceful political participation and refrain from using hate speech that can incite political violence and put lives at risk."
