Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe visited the homage site for the slain senator Miguel Uribe Turbay in Bogota on Friday (August 23), calling for unity and security as he honoured the senator's memory.

This visit occurred four days after Bogota's superior court overturned a judge's order that former President Álvaro Uribe be held under house arrest while he appeals convictions for bribery of a public official and abuse of process, on Tuesday (August 19). The court stated it has ruled "to leave without effect" the order for house arrest "until the corresponding criminal court of this tribunal defines the recourse of appeal."

Uribe was placed under house arrest earlier this month by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia, who sentenced him to 12 years in a long-running case concerning his connections to former right-wing paramilitaries. Uribe has consistently maintained his innocence and is appealing the convictions, which he and his supporters have characterized as political persecution.

The conviction made Uribe the country's first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial and came less than a year before Colombia's 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe's allies and protégés are competing for top office.

Miguel Uribe Turbay, who died on Monday, August 11, was from a prominent Colombian political family for whom the turbulence of the country's recent decades twice became personal tragedy. He is not related to Alvaro Uribe.

Miguel Uribe Turbay had been vying for his party's candidacy in upcoming presidential elections but died two months after being shot in the head at a campaign rally. He was 39.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 23, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF FORMER COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, RECENTLY CONVICTED IN CORRUPTION CASE, ALVARO URIBE ARRIVING AT HOMAGE SITE TO SLAIN COLOMBIAN SENATOR, MIGUEL URIBE TURBAY, GREETING SUPPORTERS

2. LIT CANDLE ON ALTAR IN HONOUR OF MIGUEL URIBE

3. ALTAR IN HOMAGE TO MIGUEL URIBE, WITH SHIRT AND HOMAGE READING (Spanish): “Colombia loves you, Colombia misses you.”

4. DRAWING OF MIGUEL URIBE

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, ALVARO URIBE, SAYING:

"May this place symbolize an eternal flame, like Miguel's eternal love for Colombia. May those of us who gather here not see this as a place of revenge, nor of false peace, but may we commit ourselves to fostering faith in Colombia, which must not be lost, and to encouraging hope to sprout, which must not be broken."

6. FORMER PRESIDENT URIBE DURING SPEECH (NOT A SOUNDBITE)

7. COLOMBIAN NATIONAL JERSEY WITH HOMAGE READING (Spanish): “Colombia loves you, Colombia misses you.”

8. FORMER PRESIDENT URIBE DURING SPEECH (NOT A SOUNDBITE)

9. URIBE’S SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING DURING HIS SPEECH

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORMER COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, ALVARO URIBE, SAYING:

"May Miguel's spirit inspire us to build security so that one day there will be peace. May those who pass through this place feel compelled to help build a state with legitimate and democratic security, so that, as Miguel demanded, there is security in the countryside, towns, and cities of Colombia, so people can sleep in peace."

11. COLOMBIAN FLAG WITH MESSAGE READING (Spanish) "Uribe innocent"

12. VARIOUS OF URIBE WALKING AND GREETING SUPPORTERS

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 23, 2025) (CENTRO DEMOCRATICO PARTY HANDOUT – Access all)

13. VARIOUS OF URIBE VISITING ALTAR IN HONOUR OF MIGUEL URIBE