Miguel Uribe Londoño, father of the assassinated senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, closed the tribute at the Capitol on Wednesday with an emotional speech in which he said that his son was his"guide and teacher" and asked that his "light continue to illuminate the path of Colombians."
"I ask everyone to continue living by Miguel's teachings and that when acting we always think about what Miguel would do in this situation. Son, you were my guide and my teacher, for which I give you infinite thanks (...) May your light continue to illuminate the path of Colombians", said Uribe Londoño from the Elliptical Room of the Capitol, where his son's coffin remained in state since Monday.
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In the first row, dressed in white, were the senator's widow, María Claudia Tarazona, and his three daughters.
Mauricio Moreno / Portfolio
With a calm voice and without losing his composure, Uribe Londoño addressed Tarazona to highlight her bravery during the nine weeks that the 39-year-old senator was hospitalized in critical condition since the day of the attack, last June 7.
(Also read: 'I will love you every day of my life': The emotional farewell from Miguel Uribe's wife).
"María Claudia, you have been very brave during this time of immense pain and great sadness in which, with all the greatest love, you cared for Miguel and your children as a wife and mother," he said.
The father of the murdered politician also referred to his deceased wife, the journalist Diana Turbay, who was murdered in 1991 by the Medellín cartel, when the senator was four years old.
Sergio Cárdenas / Portfolio
To Tarazona, he said:"You will continue to have a wonderful and exemplary home in which you will be a mother and father just like I was 34 years ago".
(You may be interested in: Former President Uribe accuses President Petro of instigating the murder of Uribe Turbay).
Uribe Londoño received a prolonged ovation from those present, in a speech full of gratitude to congressmen, officials, diplomats, the media and citizens who accompanied the family from the attack until this final farewell, as well as to the medical staff of the Santa Fe Foundation who treated his son.
After his speech, the coffin covered with the Colombian flag left the Capitol heading for the Primada Cathedral.
There, the deceased senator's father gave another speech, in which he highlighted his son's ideas, inspired by those of Álvaro Uribe.
"Miguel's ideas, inspired by his own experiences and shaped by the results of the presidency of Álvaro Uribe Vélez, whom my son described as the leader who liberated this country in 2002, explain why his destiny was to join the Democratic Center, the party that has always offered Colombia the answer to its most transcendent national cry: security", he said.
And he added:"Álvaro Uribe saw and recognized in Miguel the leadership of the future, the new politics. And that is why he invited him to join the ranks of his party. Together they built concrete proposals to address the main ailments of their compatriots, as if they knew that time would be inexorable. Today, Miguel's ideas are more relevant than ever. never".
Likewise, he noted that he has no doubt"where violence comes from. We have no doubt who promotes it. We have no doubt who allows it".
Uribe Turbay died early Monday morning, two months after being shot several times during a campaign event in Bogotá, ahead of the 2026 presidential elections.
This attack divided Colombia on how to confront insecurity in the country, especially in an election year, and reminded many of the political violence of the 1980s and 1990s, when several presidential candidates were assassinated by illegal groups seeking to sow fear and influence national politics.
