Gilberto Echeverri Mejía (31 July 1936 – 5 May 2003) was a Colombian electrical engineer, businessman and politician who on 21 April 2002 was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - FARC-EP along with the then-Governor of

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

Guillermo Gaviria Correa Guillermo Gaviria Correa (November 27, 1962, Medellín – May 5, 2003) was the state governor of Antioquia, a province of over 6 million people in northwestern Colombia. Kidnapped by FARC guerrillas during a march against violence on April 21, ...

among others while participating in a

peace walk A peace walk or peace march, sometimes referred to as a peace pilgrimage, is a form of nonviolent action where a person or group marches a set distance to raise awareness for particular issues important to the walkers. 350 km Long Peace Walk Ne ...

and held hostage until 5 May 2003 when he was murdered by the guerrillas during a botched rescue operation by government forces deep in the Colombian northwestern

jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

, bordering between

and Chocó. A

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

politician, he had previously served as Ambassador of Colombia to Ecuador from 1975 to 1977 in the Administration of President

Alfonso López Michelsen Alfonso López Michelsen (30 June 1913 – 11 July 2007) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the 24th President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was nicknamed "El Pollo" (The Chicken), a popular Colombian idiom for people with ...

, Minister of Economic Development from 1978 to 1980 in the Administration of President

Julio César Turbay Ayala Julio César Turbay Ayala (18 June 1916 – 13 September 2005) was a Colombian lawyer and politician who served as the 25th President of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. He also held the positions of Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United S ...

, Minister of National Defence from 1997 to 1998 in the Administration of President

Ernesto Samper Pizano Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998. From 2014 to 2017 he served as the Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). He is a lawyer, economist, academic and poli ...

, and was working as peace advisor to Governor Gaviria before he was kidnapped.

Personal life

Gilberto was born on 31 July 1936 in

Rionegro Rionegro () is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the city is Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro. Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the cit ...

, Antioquia and was the youngest of twelve children born to José María Echeverri and María Mejía. He finished his secondary education in 1954 at the

Pontifical Bolivarian University The Pontifical Bolivarian University (), also referred to as UPB, is a private university in Colombia with its main campus in Medellín, where it was founded in 1936. As of 2023, the university is ranked among the top four universities in Colombia ...

where he also graduated in 1959 with a

Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (B.E.E. or BEE) is an undergraduate academic degree offered to a student who completes three to five years of study in electrical engineering at a university or college. There are many institutes offering ''Bache ...

. In 1962 he married Marta Inés Pérez Mejía, with whom he had three children: Lina María, Jorge Ignacio, and Carlos Arturo.

Works selected

* **

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Echeverri Mejia, Gilberto 1936 births 2003 deaths Ambassadors of Colombia to Ecuador Ministers of defense of Colombia Ministers of economic development of Colombia Governors of Antioquia Department Colombian Liberal Party politicians Colombian electrical engineers Assassinated Colombian politicians Assassinated government ministers in South America South American politicians assassinated in the 2000s Kidnapped Colombian people Kidnapped politicians Kidnapping in the 2000s People from Antioquia Department Pontifical Bolivarian University alumni Politicians assassinated in 2003

Personal life

Works selected

See also

References