María Consuelo Córdoba, a 58-year-old woman whose life was upended by a chemical attack in Bogotá more than two decades ago, has come forward with new details about the man accused of throwing acid on her. According to her account, the attacker fled the scene immediately after the assault and went into hiding for over a year in Chocó, a remote, densely forested department on Colombia’s Pacific coast known for its isolation and limited road access.
Córdoba’s case has drawn national attention in Colombia, partly because she has publicly requested euthanasia, citing the physical and emotional toll of living with permanent injuries from the attack. Her health insurance provider, Capital Salud—part of Colombia’s EPS system, which manages both public and private health coverage for citizens—confirmed that it authorized her euthanasia request four years ago, in an effort to guarantee her the right to a dignified death.
The renewed attention to her story has reignited conversations in Colombia about violence against women, the long road to justice for acid attack survivors, and the country’s legal framework around assisted dying, which has been permitted under specific medical and legal conditions since a landmark court ruling.
To learn more about María Consuelo Córdoba’s story and the case’s latest developments, read the full report at El Tiempo.
Source: María Consuelo Córdoba, mujer que pidió eutanasia, contó qué ocurrió con el hombre que la atacó con ácido en Bogotá (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: popo.uw23, PDM 1.0 (via Openverse).