SOACHA — 1989 · Murder
The Assassination of Luis Carlos Galán
Luis Carlos Galán, a Liberal Party politician known for his hard line against the drug cartels and seen as the frontrunner in the 1990 presidential election, was shot dead from the crowd as he took the stage at a campaign rally in Soacha, near Bogotá, on 18 August 1989. The assassination was attributed to hitmen of the Medellín cartel led by Pablo Escobar. It led the Colombian government to harden its campaign against the cartels and its policy of extraditing suspects to the U.S. In trials in later years, a politician who took part in planning the killing and a former director of the DAS state intelligence agency were also convicted.
- Date
- 1989
- Place
- Cundinamarca, Colombia, Soacha, CO
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 4.5790, -74.2170 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 18 August 1989Galán shot at the Soacha rally.
- August 1989Government takes emergency measures against the cartels.
- 2007A politician involved in planning the killing convicted.
- 2016Former DAS director sentenced to 30 years.
Sources
- BBC News — Colombia ex-politician jailed over Galan murder bbc.com ↗
- BBC News — Ex-security chief sentenced over Galan killing bbc.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Luis Carlos Galán en.wikipedia.org ↗
- BBC News
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.