'It's totally false': The Democratic Center responds to Augusto Rodríguez regarding alleged decisions by Miguel Uribe's security detail.

The Democratic Center has begun to reject the recent statements made by Augusto Rodríguez, director of the National Protection Unit (UNP). The official asserted that the agency " did everything it had to do " to protect Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay and suggested that his security detail made poor decisions before the attack that has kept him hospitalized at the Santa Fe Foundation in Bogotá.

"The government's claim that Miguel Uribe was responsible for his own attack is nothing more than the evident incompetence of this administration in every aspect. It's completely false. We, as the opposition, have made several demands to the director of the UNP himself, and they haven't paid any attention to us, and our lives remain at risk because of their negligence," asserted Senator Carlos Meisel.

According to Meisel, "We have major problems with UNP members' breaks, and no one is paying attention to us. So, don't be so irresponsible as to blame Miguel for the same problem, which has him hovering between life and death today ."

During an event in Caloto, Cauca, Rodríguez said: "They attack the government; they say the president is responsible for polarizing. They say the UNP did not act as it should have, that there was negligence. When the UNP —I say and affirm this in this land that is sacred to me —did everything it had to do: it did its duty, it complied with all the protocols, it provided the protection personnel with their weapons and the latest model vehicles . Miguel Uribe himself, and suddenly, in conversation with his chief of scheme, they arrived at some decisions that were a little negative ."

This theory had already been expressed by the director of the UNP in an interview with El País América : "He made decisions that weakened his security and that were wrong. He decided, along with his security chief, to split the protection scheme and extend it to his family. He ordered some men to stay with his family and others with him. That shouldn't be done," he commented.

The Democratic Center party has been clashing with the UNP over the murder of one of its most prominent members. In fact, the party's director, Gabriel Vallejo, reported that Senator Uribe Turbay had requested more than 20 times from the UNP director to strengthen his security detail.

He also asked the Attorney General's Office to investigate alleged "stigmatization" by the UNP against party members, due to issues related to their personal safety.

Regarding the Democratic Center's complaints, Rodríguez responded that " we didn't find a single request to strengthen the protection plan . There were only requests for specific support for their travel in certain cities, but never to strengthen or modify their plan."

He added: "It was also claimed that there were multiple threats against him, but the Prosecutor's Office has confirmed to us that not a single complaint existed. They have relied on a tremendous number of lies."

Juan Pablo Penagos Ramirez