Latin America

By Jessica McBride Men’s Journal Updated June 7, 2025 9:39 PM

Wounded Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is the son of a murdered journalist named Diana Turbay. She was the daughter of a former Colombian president Julio Cesar Turbay; Uribe Turbay, a potential presidential candidate and opposition party leader, was shot and wounded while giving a speech at a park on June 7 in Bogota. His wife wrote on his X page that he is fighting for his life.

U.S. fans of the series Narcos will remember the story; that show prominently featured the real-life story of Diana Turbay, a prominent journalist who was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel. She died in a raid to rescue her. In 1991, The Los Angeles Times reported: "When their capture appeared imminent, the gunmen opened fire on their hostages' backs, fatally wounding (Diana) Turbay." However, Time Magazine quoted a book as saying that Diana Turbay was killed by the government in a botched attempt to rescue her: "Turbay, 40, was killed during a raid by government security forces," Time wrote.

CNN reported that Miguel Uribe Turbay is "from the conservative Centro Democrático – or Democratic Center – one of the biggest opposition parties" and suspects are in custody. According to the Inter American Press Association, Diana Turbay "died on January 25, 1991 in a police operation in which she received a deadly gunshot wound to the back."

Diana Turbay and several others "were held under the command of Pablo Escobar, head of the Medellín Cartel, who had set a trap for them," the site reported. She was the editor of a weekly news magazine, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/living/article308140640.html#storylink=cpy