In brief
The recent sentencing of a teenager for the assassination of Colombian politician Miguel Uribe Turbay has sparked widespread discussion about political violence in Colombia. Uribe, who had been a strong contender for the presidency, was shot at a rally in June and died two months later. The incident has raised concerns over the resurgence of assassinations in Colombian politics, reminiscent of the violence seen in previous decades.
A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention for shooting Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay at a rally in Bogotá in June.
The conservative senator, who was 39, underwent multiple surgeries after being hit by three bullets but died on 11 August.
The teenager was charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms.
After years of growing peace, the shooting shocked Colombians, who still remembered the political violence of the 1980s and 90s when several presidential candidates and influential Colombian figures were assassinated.
Five others have been arrested and charged in relation to the attack, including suspected criminal Élder José Arteaga Hernandez.
Police say they believe a dissident group of the former left-wing FARC rebels was behind the assassination.
Uribe was shot in the head at a campaign rally on 7 June, with unverified video of the assassination widely circulated online.
Local media reports suggest that after he was arrested, he cried out: I did it for money for my family.
The senator was a popular member of the right-wing Democratic Centre party, and had been seeking his party's nomination for the 2026 presidential election.
His father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, announced his own presidential campaign earlier this week, in an effort to keep his son's legacy alive.
Uribe Londoño was a member of Bogotá's city council in the late 80s and a senator for Colombia's Conservative Party in the early 90s, during a period marked by political violence and assassinations.
He often cited his mother, journalist Diana Turbay, as inspiration for his political career, having been kidnapped and killed by drug lords during a previous wave of violence.
