José Obdulio Gaviria releases book on Colombian political assassinations

Former senator and presidential advisor José Obdulio Gaviria has released a new book titled ‘Magnicidios: Cómo opera la máquina mortal de la criminalidad política’ (Planeta). The work analyzes political assassinations in Colombia from the era of Independence to the present day.

Gaviria argues that political violence in Colombia did not begin with the 1948 assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, as is commonly believed, but rather with the country’s founding fathers. He posits that envy is a critical, often overlooked element in understanding the nation’s history of sectarianism and political violence.

In an interview with El Colombiano, Gaviria also alleged that the FARC guerrilla group ordered the assassination of Álvaro Gómez Hurtado. He cited letters reportedly received from the guerrilla leader ‘Tirofijo’ in 2012, which expressed hatred for Gómez Hurtado and questioned why he had not been killed.