Piedad Cordoba, an outspoken leftist who straddled Colombia’s ideological divide, dies at age 68

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Piedad Córdoba, an outspoken Colombian lawmaker who for decades championed the rights of her fellow Afro-Colombians while undertaking huge risks as a go-between to leftist rebel groups, has died. She was 68. The senator’s death was confirmed Saturday by President Gustavo Petro, who praised Córdoba as a “true liberal” who “fought all her mature life for a more democratic society.” No cause of death was given but Colombian media reported she was found dead Saturday by her bodyguards at her home in Medellin from an apparent heart attack. Known for her colorful turbans evoking her African heritage, Córdoba stood out as a leftist stalwart in one of Latin America’s most conservative countries.