A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention for the fatal shooting of Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay during a campaign rally in Bogotá earlier this year.
Uribe, a conservative senator aged 39, was struck by three bullets at the event on 7 June and later died on 11 August after undergoing several surgeries.
Authorities charged the teenager with attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms.
Police say the attack is linked to dissident members of the former Farc rebel movement. Five additional suspects, including alleged criminal Élder José Arteaga Hernández, have been arrested in connection with the killing.
Local media reported that after the boy’s arrest, he claimed he acted for money to support his family.
Video of the assassination spread widely online, shocking Colombians who remember the wave of political violence during the 1980s and 1990s when several presidential candidates were assassinated.
Uribe was a rising figure in the right-wing Democratic Centre party and was campaigning for the party’s nomination in the 2026 presidential race.
His father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, this week launched his own presidential campaign, saying he would continue his son’s legacy.
Political violence has deeply marked the family. Uribe Londoño’s mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was kidnapped in 1990 by the cartel-linked group Los Extraditables and was later killed during a failed rescue attempt.
Her story shaped Uribe’s decision to enter politics with the goal of serving Colombia.
The assassination has drawn strong domestic and international reactions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the killing and called it “an attack on democracy itself.”
The Democratic Centre party described Uribe as “a voice of courage” and urged authorities to protect other political candidates ahead of the 2026 vote.
The United Nations mission in Colombia also expressed concern, saying the murder was a “stark reminder” of the dangers facing political leaders in the country.
The US State Department issued condolences and urged Bogotá to “bring all perpetrators to justice.”