President Petro's request to investigate the attack on Miguel Uribe, which includes a UN commission.

During a controversial speech this Wednesday, June 11, in Cali, President Gustavo Petro asked Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo to find those responsible for the attack on Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay. The president asserted, "I have clues."

Although the Head of State's speech focused on the referendum and the issuance of the decree ordering its unilateral convening, he began his remarks by mentioning Miguel Uribe, whom he singled out despite not sharing his political ideology. " He's struggling with life, and I hope life," he said. He then spoke about Uribe's mother, Diana Turbay, emphasizing that she was murdered by drug trafficking.

Petro even called for a minute of silence for the pre-candidate. "Let's observe a minute of silence for Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay and may he outlive his assassins," the president requested.

He then questioned whether he was being held responsible for this crime because of the tone of his speech or the tensions caused by the call for a referendum. "The culprit is not the people of Colombia or their president. The referendum is not a friend of murderers. Social inequality is a friend of murderers," Petro stated.

"I have asked, through the American Embassy in Bogotá, that all intelligence agencies help me investigate who killed Mario Uribe (he meant who tried to assassinate Miguel Uribe) (...) I do not want to spare any effort, not even an hour in finding out who they were; I have clues and they do not point to the hysteria on the streets, they point to something else," Petro stated.

He then asked the Attorney General to allow an independent United Nations judicial commission of inquiry to assist in the investigation of the attack not only against Senator Miguel Uribe, but against all political and social leaders who have been assassinated throughout Colombia's history.

President Petro broadcast his speech at the mobilization announced by the labor unions in Cali as a live address. In this message, he defended his "decree" calling for a referendum on labor reform. He asserted that it is in accordance with the Constitution and even threatened to seek a constituent assembly if both the call for elections and the labor reform currently being processed in Congress are defeated.

"What follows are 8 million signatures, an intense effort, but the people have already decided and will not back down. And all the instruments that exist in Colombia, including the National Constituent Assembly, will be used because the only sovereign power holder is the people of Colombia," he said.

Regarding the request to moderate his way of speaking, he stated: "They've asked me to tone it down, and I promise to do so, but tone it down doesn't mean not speaking the truth, remaining silent, or kneeling."

Regarding the lawsuits against the referendum decree, he rejected the claims that the ministers are guilty of malfeasance. He even referred to the possibility that his entire cabinet could end up in jail. "I would be proud, even, if they did that to me, which they've tried to do several times, because they would have to imprison public officials and a president of Colombia, who have only asked the people to express themselves," he said.

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