Colombia orders UNP to apologize to family of Miguel Uribe Turbay

Colombia's Fourth Revision Chamber has ruled that the National Protection Unit (UNP) must issue a public apology to the family of the late former senator Miguel Uribe Turbay.

The decision follows a legal action filed by María Claudia Tarazona, the senator's widow, regarding public statements made by the former director of the UNP, Augusto Rodríguez Ballesteros. The court found that the former director's comments violated the rights to privacy, honor, and reputation of the deceased senator and his family. Specifically, the statements suggested that Uribe Turbay's own actions may have influenced the circumstances of the attack that killed him, while also questioning his security protocols.

The Chamber determined that the former official exceeded the limits of freedom of expression and breached confidentiality duties by disclosing sensitive information and private family matters. The ruling emphasized that a robust democracy requires the State to protect the rights of the political opposition and prevent the use of official discourse to frame political dissent as a threat.