Rodrigo Lara Bonilla was a Colombian

Colombian people

Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...

 lawyer and politician, who served as Minister of Justice

Ministry of the Interior and Justice

The Ministry of the Interior and Justice , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice and interior ministries of other countries....

 under President Belisario Betancur

Belisario Betancur

Belisario Betancur Cuartas is a Colombian statesman, who as a member of the Colombian Conservative Party was President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986.- Biographic data :...

, and was assassinated by orders of Pablo Escobar

Pablo Escobar

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...

 because of his work as Minister in prosecuting cocaine traffickers mainly belonging to 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...

.

Lara's death led to Escobar's indictment for murder and a long running controversy over extradition in Colombia that would ultimately cost thousands of lives.