Colombia President Gustavo Petro’s Absence at Senator Uribe’s Funeral
Colombian President Gustavo Petro opted not to honor the late conservative Senator Miguel Uribe Turbey during the funeral proceedings held in Congress, as reported. Instead, on Tuesday, Petro voiced strong criticisms of the United States and its former President Donald Trump, even implying that Secretary of State Christopher Landau considered restricting visits to Bogotá due to the ceremony.
According to reports, Petro will not be attending Uribe’s funeral mass and burial. Meanwhile, Vice President Francia Marquez is reportedly distancing herself from Petro and appears to be at odds with his administration, though she will attend the events.
Uribe, who was just 39 when he died, was shot by a young assailant at a rally in Bogotá back in June. He spent 64 days in the intensive care unit fighting for his life. The late senator’s body arrived at the Colombian Congress on Monday night and was displayed until the burial set for Wednesday.
Numerous Colombian politicians, past presidents, and government officials gathered to support Uribe’s family and pay respects to the slain senator. Reports noted that over 4,000 Colombians lined up outside Congress on Tuesday to express their condolences, with many chanting slogans in support.
Petro might not have visited Congress that day but did manage to request a minute of silence for the late senator during a police promotion ceremony. However, he mistakenly referred to Uribe by the wrong name during this event.
“A minute of silence for peace, family, and Sen. Mario Uribe Turbey—for peace—sorry, Miguel Uribe Turbey,” he stated.
Secretary of State Landau traveled to Bogotá for Senator Uribe’s additional service on Wednesday. On Monday, he discussed Uribe’s death with Donald Trump Jr., underlining U.S. concerns, highlighting that Uribe was a vocal critic of Petro’s administration.
“If a person with centrist views is subjected to an assassination attempt, or worse, you can’t claim to have a democracy,” Landau remarked, which appeared to irk Petro. He indicated at a police event that he had thought about preventing Landau from entering Colombia, claiming the deputy chief had “offended” him.
“From Miami, who created the ideology of hatred they want to impose on us, the Secretary of State says he’s coming tonight. I thought about stopping him because he insulted me. But, I don’t like doing that,” Petro said.
Petro expressed frustration over Trump’s comparison of murder rates in Washington, D.C., and Bogotá, implying that such statements were misleading and insulting.
Having served as Bogotá’s mayor from 2012 to 2015, Petro remarked that Bogotá is not a place with children going hungry, contradicting claims of it being one of the worst places on earth.
“He says Bogotá is ugly. I don’t know if that’s a threat, but Bogotá has a murder rate of 11-12 per 100,000. Washington, on the other hand, has 25. It’s twice as violent,” Petro added, asserting his preference for Bogotá over Washington, despite the current mayor’s differing views.
Petro also called for an emergency gathering of Latin American Foreign Ministers to discuss perceived threats and interference from the United States, suggesting that the U.S. intends to “attack” the region similarly to events in Gaza. His urgent meeting request came shortly after he expressed backing for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro amid U.S. efforts to capture him.
The funeral proceedings for Senator Uribe commenced on Wednesday with a private ceremony in the Colombian National Capitol for family and members of the House of Representatives. A Funeral Mass is set for noon at the Primary Cathedral of Bogotá, followed by a procession through various sites in the city until reaching the central cemetery for Uribe’s burial.
