Latin American Leaders Pay Tribute to Charlie Kirk

Latin American leaders mourned the passing of 31-year-old conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated as he spoke to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10.

“My condolences to Charlie Kirk’s family and all the young people around the world who admired and listened to him,” Argentinian President Javier Milei wrote in a Sept. 10 post on X.

“A formidable disseminator of the ideas of freedom and a staunch defender of the West.”

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña expressed his astonishment at Kirk’s assassination. During a speech commemorating the 138th anniversary of the ruling National Republican Association, or Colorado Party, he spoke about Kirk’s career.

“We saw, I’m sure, as astonished as I was, in the midst of a university debate, a young man who throughout his career, from a very young age, had been defending his beliefs, his Christian faith, his belief in the importance of the family as the foundation of a modern society that aspires to thrive,” Peña said in Spanish in his Sept. 11 speech.

“And his thinking, which he carried into every sphere, promoted the incorporation of new talents and young people into political activity and debate.

“His voice was silenced in the midst of a debate, and it really should make us reflect,” he added.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed Kirk’s assassination in her morning press conference on Sept. 11.

“We regret this event that occurred in the United States with this activist, this person, the activist Charlie Kirk,” she said in Spanish.

Sheinbaum condemned the murder, stating that she was “totally against any violence, and particularly political violence. Therefore, we also condemn acts of this type.”

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado offered her condolences.

“My prayers and those of millions of Venezuelans are with Charlie Kirk, his family, colleagues, and friends. His murder is a monstrous act that must be repudiated by all citizens of the world,” Machado wrote in a Sept. 10 post on X.

“The cornerstone of a democratic society is the sacred right to freedom of expression and political pluralism. Our deepest condolences to the people of the United States. May God receive him in his glory,” she added.

Colombian Senator María Fernanda Cabal shared a farewell message on social media.

“Rest in peace, dear Charlie. We are still standing here, fighting for the ideas we have defended for many years. Watch over us from heaven,” Cabal said in a post on X on Sept. 10.

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez condemned Kirk’s assassination in a statement issued on the letterhead of the Democratic Center party, to which the late Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay belonged. Turbay was shot from behind during a rally and succumbed to his injuries around two months later in the hospital.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violent act that took the life of Charlie Kirk. Our solidarity goes out to his family, President [Donald] Trump, and the American people,” Uribe’s message on X reads.

Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, in her condemnation of Kirk’s murder, said: “I extend my deepest condolences and prayers to the wife, family, and loved ones of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, whom I met in his fight to defend the principles of our nation.”

“Our nation is stronger when we defend the rule of law, protect freedom, and respect the rights of others. Political violence is not just an attack on an individual, but on the very foundations of our democracy,” González-Colón added in a Sept. 10 statement.

She noted that differences, “no matter how deep, must be resolved through dialogue, debate, and democratic processes, never through intimidation, aggression, or violence.”

The governor also announced the lowering of flags to half-staff in government offices, in compliance with President Donald Trump’s proclamation.