Julio César Turbay Ayala
Encyclopedia
Julio César Turbay Ayala (1916–2005) was a Colombia
n politician, member of the Colombian Liberal Party
, elected president of the Senate of Colombia
(1969–1970) and (1974–1975) and, was president of Colombia
from 1978 to 1982.
, on June 18, 1916. His father, Antonio Amín Turbay, was a businessman who emigrated from Tannourine
, Lebanon
.
His mother, Rosaura Ayala, was a peasant from the province of Cundinamarca
. Turbay’s father, a hard working merchant, had built a fortune, which he completely lost during the civil war of the Thousand Days War
.
(M-19) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
, as well as to the Colombian Communist Party
's attempts to extend its political influence and a 1977 national strike, a 1978 decree, known as the Security Statute, was implemented by Turbay's administration.
The Security Statute gave the military an increased degree of freedom of action, especially in urban areas, to detain, interrogate and eventually judge suspected guerrillas or their collaborators before military tribunals. Human rights organizations, newspaper columnists, political personalities and opposition groups complained about an increase in the number of arbitrary detentions and acts of torture
as a result.
Although the Security Statute allegedly benefitted some of the counterinsurgency operations of the security forces, such as the capture of most of the M-19's command structure and many of the guerrilla group's urban cells, the measure became highly unpopular inside and outside Colombia, promoting some measure of public sympathy for the victims of the real or perceived military abuses whether they were guerrillas or not, and was phased out towards the end of the Turbay administration.
's embassy, during which sixteen ambassadors were held hostage for 61 days, presented a complicated challenge to the Turbay administration.
The incident soon spread throughout worldwide headlines, as ambassadors from the United States of America, Costa Rica
, Mexico, Peru
, Israel
and Venezuela
had been taken hostage, as well as Colombia's top representative to the Holy See
.
Turbay, despite pressure from military and political sectors, avoided deciding to solve the crisis through the use of direct military force, and instead eventually agreed to let the M-19 rebels travel to Cuba
. Allegedly, the rebels also received USD 1 million as payment, instead of the initial $50 million that they had originally demanded from the government.
That a mostly peaceful resolution to the crisis was found has been generally considered as a positive aspect of Turbay's administration, as seen by later and contemporary commentators and historians.
In particular, former M-19 members, including Rosemberg Pabón
, the commander of the guerrilla group's operative unit at the time, later recognized and respected Turbay's handling of the situation.
. He initially opposed the possibility of presidential reelection in Colombia, but he later changed his views, contributing to founding a movement known as Patria Nueva ("New Homeland") in order to help promote Uribe's 2006 reelection
aspirations.
guerrilla group. As part of this effort, Turbay participated in several meetings with the relatives of FARC hostages and signed several declarations of support, together with other former presidents such as Alfonso López Michelsen
and Ernesto Samper.
On August 31, 2005, Turbay proposed that the government could exchange each jailed guerrilla for ten "economic" hostages (those held for extortion purposes) and one "political" hostage (those held by the FARC in order to pressure the Colombian government to release its jailed members).
, and María Victoria. However, their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church
, and in 1986 he married his longtime companion Amparo Canal, to whom he remained married until his death.
A personal idiosyncrasy was his custom of wearing bow tie
s, a sartorial habit extremely uncommon in Colombia.
In January 1991, Turbay's daughter, the journalist Diana Turbay
, was kidnapped by orders of the Medellín Cartel
and died during a failed police rescue operation not sanctioned by her family. Her kidnapping is chronicled in News of a Kidnapping
by the Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez
.
Turbay died on September 13, 2005. He was honored by a state funeral personally led by President Álvaro Uribe
. He was buried at the Sacromonte Caves at Canton Norte, an army base in Bogotá.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n politician, member of the Colombian Liberal Party
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
, elected president of the Senate of Colombia
Senate of Colombia
The Senate of the Republic of Colombia is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia...
(1969–1970) and (1974–1975) and, was president of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
from 1978 to 1982.
Biographic data
Turbay was born in a poor neighborhood of “Voto Nacional”, BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, on June 18, 1916. His father, Antonio Amín Turbay, was a businessman who emigrated from Tannourine
Tannourine
Tannourine is a Lebanese municipality located in the Batroun_District, part of the Mohafazah of North-Lebanon, 75 km from the capital Beirut.-Etymology:...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
His mother, Rosaura Ayala, was a peasant from the province of Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca Department
- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....
. Turbay’s father, a hard working merchant, had built a fortune, which he completely lost during the civil war of the Thousand Days War
Thousand Days War
The Thousand Days' War , was a civil armed conflict in the newly created Republic of Colombia, between the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and its radical factions. In 1899 the ruling conservatives were accused of maintaining power through fraudulent elections...
.
1978 Security Statute
In response to an increase in guerrilla activity from the 19th of April Movement19th of April Movement
The 19th of April Movement or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance , or AD/M-19.The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of 19 April 1970...
(M-19) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
, as well as to the Colombian Communist Party
Colombian Communist Party
The Colombian Communist Party or PCC is the legal communist party of Colombia. It was founded in 1930, as the Colombian section of the Comintern...
's attempts to extend its political influence and a 1977 national strike, a 1978 decree, known as the Security Statute, was implemented by Turbay's administration.
The Security Statute gave the military an increased degree of freedom of action, especially in urban areas, to detain, interrogate and eventually judge suspected guerrillas or their collaborators before military tribunals. Human rights organizations, newspaper columnists, political personalities and opposition groups complained about an increase in the number of arbitrary detentions and acts of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
as a result.
Although the Security Statute allegedly benefitted some of the counterinsurgency operations of the security forces, such as the capture of most of the M-19's command structure and many of the guerrilla group's urban cells, the measure became highly unpopular inside and outside Colombia, promoting some measure of public sympathy for the victims of the real or perceived military abuses whether they were guerrillas or not, and was phased out towards the end of the Turbay administration.
1980 Dominican embassy crisis
The M-19's late 1980 takeover of the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
's embassy, during which sixteen ambassadors were held hostage for 61 days, presented a complicated challenge to the Turbay administration.
The incident soon spread throughout worldwide headlines, as ambassadors from the United States of America, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Mexico, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
had been taken hostage, as well as Colombia's top representative to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Turbay, despite pressure from military and political sectors, avoided deciding to solve the crisis through the use of direct military force, and instead eventually agreed to let the M-19 rebels travel to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Allegedly, the rebels also received USD 1 million as payment, instead of the initial $50 million that they had originally demanded from the government.
That a mostly peaceful resolution to the crisis was found has been generally considered as a positive aspect of Turbay's administration, as seen by later and contemporary commentators and historians.
In particular, former M-19 members, including Rosemberg Pabón
Rosemberg Pabón
Rosemberg Pabón Pabón is a Colombian political scientist who since 2006 serves as Director of the National Administrative Department of Solidary Economy . A former leader of the M-19 guerilla movement, he commanded the 1980 Dominican Embassy siege in Bogotá...
, the commander of the guerrilla group's operative unit at the time, later recognized and respected Turbay's handling of the situation.
Post-presidency
Turbay was a supporter of president Álvaro UribeÁlvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
. He initially opposed the possibility of presidential reelection in Colombia, but he later changed his views, contributing to founding a movement known as Patria Nueva ("New Homeland") in order to help promote Uribe's 2006 reelection
Colombian presidential election, 2006
The 2006 Colombian presidential election was held on 28 May 2006. Álvaro Uribe was re-elected as President of the Republic and will serve another four-year term, starting on 7 August 2006...
aspirations.
Support for a prisoner exchange with the FARC
Turbay was seen as at odds with some of Uribe's policies, however, in particular due to his activism in favor of the implementation and negotiation of a prisoner exchange with the FARCRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
guerrilla group. As part of this effort, Turbay participated in several meetings with the relatives of FARC hostages and signed several declarations of support, together with other former presidents such as Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen
Alfonso López Michelsen was a Colombian politician, lawyer and journalist. Lopez Michelsen was President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was the son of Alfonso López Pumarejo, who was also president of Colombia from 1934 to 1938, and once again from 1942 to 1945...
and Ernesto Samper.
On August 31, 2005, Turbay proposed that the government could exchange each jailed guerrilla for ten "economic" hostages (those held for extortion purposes) and one "political" hostage (those held by the FARC in order to pressure the Colombian government to release its jailed members).
Personal life
Turbay married his niece, Nydia Quintero Turbay, on July 1, 1948. They had four children together: Julio César, Diana, ClaudiaClaudia Turbay Quintero
Claudia Turbay Quintero is a Colombian journalist and diplomat. She currently serves as Ambassador of Colombia to Switzerland, with dual accreditation as Non-Resident Ambassador to Lichtenstein...
, and María Victoria. However, their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and in 1986 he married his longtime companion Amparo Canal, to whom he remained married until his death.
A personal idiosyncrasy was his custom of wearing bow tie
Bow tie
The bow tie is a type of men's necktie. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. Ready-tied bow ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip....
s, a sartorial habit extremely uncommon in Colombia.
In January 1991, Turbay's daughter, the journalist Diana Turbay
Diana Turbay
Diana Turbay Quintero was a Colombian journalist, killed during the rescue operation while kidnapped by the Medellín Cartel...
, was kidnapped by orders of the Medellín Cartel
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
and died during a failed police rescue operation not sanctioned by her family. Her kidnapping is chronicled in News of a Kidnapping
News of a Kidnapping
thumb|1st edition News of a Kidnapping is a non-fiction book by Gabriel García Márquez...
by the Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
.
Turbay died on September 13, 2005. He was honored by a state funeral personally led by President Álvaro Uribe
Álvaro Uribe
Alvaro Uribe Vélez was the 58th President of Colombia, from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid....
. He was buried at the Sacromonte Caves at Canton Norte, an army base in Bogotá.