President Gustavo Petro reacted to the speech by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, which was read by Gabriel Vallejo, director of the Democratic Center, during the tribute to the assassinated senator and pre-candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay this Wednesday, August 13.

Miguel Uribe Turbay's burial at the Central Cemetery in Bogotá. Photo: EL TIEMPO

"After the judicial analysis of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the State is condemned for the death of more than 6,000 UP militants. Here, before a coffin, they mock justice once again. They committed a political genocide, do not hide it," wrote the president on his account on the social network X.

A few minutes later, the head of state published another message in which he attacked the former president:"Álvaro Uribe is full of poison, he ignores the genocide of the UP and the State's participation in it. Even today, 26 years ago, Jaime Garzón was murdered at the instigation of an advisor to his government, and he blames the current government, when he knows that the evidence points to the same people who murdered the UP."

Miguel Uribe Turbay's burial at Bogotá's Central Cemetery. Photo: EL TIEMPO Álvaro Uribe's mention of the Patriotic Union in his speech

During his speech, which was read by the director of the Democratic Center, Gabriel Vallejo, the former president mentioned the Patriotic Union, a leftist political party that was exterminated.

"The world must know that the regime's oft-repeated argument of remembering the genocide against the Patriotic Union to cover up this assassination and the threatening challenges to the opposition is unacceptable. No Colombian president was an instigator against the Patriotic Union. During my presidency, opposition leaders, such as then-Senators Gustavo Petro and Piedad Córdoba, had the same security guarantees as my closest collaborators. None were assassinated," said the former president.

María Claudia Tarazona, wife of Miguel Uribe Turbay, with her children. Photo: Mauricio Moreno/ El Tiempo

Uribe was unable to attend the senator's funeral because he was under house arrest after being convicted of procedural fraud and bribery in a court case. The decision was made in the first instance and was appealed, so the case was referred to the Superior Court of Bogotá.

In another controversial message from President Petro, he asserted that the government assassinated Jaime Garzón for his comments regarding former President Uribe, then governor of Antioquia.

"For saying this, the government assassinated Jaime Garzón," the head of state asserted.

MATEO GARCÍA

Deputy Editor of Politics

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