Diana Turbay was a prominent Colombian journalist and the daughter of Julio César Turbay Ayala, who served as the president of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. She was kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, on August 30, 1990, and died on January 25, 1991, during a failed rescue attempt by the police. Her tragic death was a result of the complex and violent conflict that engulfed Colombia in the late 20th century, involving drug trafficking, guerrilla warfare, and political turmoil.
Contents
The Kidnapping of Diana Turbay
Turbay was the founder and director of Noticiero Criptón, a news program that aired on Colombian television. She was also a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El País and the magazine Semana. She was known for her investigative journalism and her critical stance on the government and the armed groups.
On August 30, 1990, Turbay received a phone call from an unidentified man who claimed to be a representative of the National Liberation Army (ELN), a leftist guerrilla group. He offered her an exclusive interview with the leader of the ELN, Manuel Pérez Martínez, also known as El Cura Pérez (The Priest Pérez). Turbay agreed to the interview and went to the meeting place with her cameraman, Richard Becerra, and two other colleagues.
However, the phone call was a trap set by Escobar, who had hired a criminal gang called Los Priscos to kidnap Turbay. Escobar’s motive was to use Turbay as a bargaining chip to prevent the Colombian government from approving an extradition treaty with the United States, which would allow him to be tried for his drug-related crimes in American courts. Escobar also kidnapped other prominent figures, such as Francisco Santos Calderón, a journalist and the nephew of then-president César Gaviria, and Maruja Pachón, a former minister and the sister-in-law of former president Luis Carlos Galán, who was assassinated by Escobar’s hitmen in 1989.
Turbay and her companions were taken to a rural area near Copacabana, a town in the department of Antioquia, where they were held captive by Escobar’s men. Turbay was able to communicate with her family and the authorities through letters and recorded messages, in which she pleaded for a peaceful solution to the crisis. She also expressed her fear and suffering, as well as her hope to see her two children again.
The Rescue Operation and the Death of Diana Turbay
On January 25, 1991, the Colombian police launched a rescue operation to free Turbay and the other hostages, without the authorization or the knowledge of the families or the government. The operation was based on the information provided by a former member of Los Priscos, who had defected from the gang and revealed the location of the hideout.
The police surrounded the house where Turbay and Becerra were kept and exchanged fire with the kidnappers. Escobar’s men fled the scene, taking Turbay and Becerra with them. As they were crossing a hill, a bullet hit Turbay in the back, piercing her liver and left kidney. She was taken to a helicopter that was waiting nearby, but she died on the way to a hospital in Medellín. Becerra was rescued unharmed.
The rescue operation was widely criticized for its lack of coordination, planning, and intelligence. It was also seen as a violation of the negotiations that were taking place between the government and Escobar, who had agreed to release the hostages in exchange for the suspension of the extradition treaty and the guarantee of a fair trial in Colombia. The death of Turbay was a blow to the peace process and a source of grief and outrage for the Colombian society.
The Legacy of Diana Turbay
Diana Turbay is remembered as a brave and talented journalist who dedicated her life to informing the public and defending democracy. Her story has been portrayed in several books, such as News of a Kidnapping by Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, who was a friend of Turbay and her family, and in various films and television series, such as Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal, Narcos, and Noticia de un Secuestro.
Turbay’s family has continued to honor her memory and to work for the development of Colombia. Her son, Miguel Uribe Turbay, is a politician and a former mayor of Bogotá. Her daughter, María Carolina Hoyos Turbay, is a journalist and a former minister of communications. Her ex-husband, Miguel Uribe Londoño, is a businessman and a philanthropist.
Turbay’s death also marked a turning point in the fight against Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, as it increased the pressure on the government and the international community to capture and prosecute the drug lord. Escobar was eventually killed by the police on December 2, 1993, after escaping from his prison, La Catedral, where he had surrendered in June 1991.
Diana Turbay’s cause of death was a tragic consequence of the violence and the chaos that plagued Colombia in the late 20th century. Her life and her legacy are a testament to the courage
