Central America

Guild rejects Panamanian president’s threats about protests

Photo: Suntracs

November 19 |

Panama’s Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Construcción y Similares (Suntracs) rejected Thursday the threats made the day before by President Laurentino Cortizo regarding the protests and demonstrations promoted by the union against the mining contract.

In this regard, they announced that they filed a precautionary measure before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to order the Panamanian government to guarantee the right to association and demonstration, especially to the 14 members of the board of directors.

In the complaint before the IACHR, the union points out that both President Laurentino Cortizo, as well as the Minister of Security, Juan Manuel Pino, have stated that the union has “hidden agendas and that they seek to destabilize the country.”

Consequently, Suntracs requests the Commission that the Panamanian State adopt measures to guarantee the free exercise of the right to demonstrate in the country.

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The threats of Cortizo and his government come after the previous day the Alianza Pueblo Unido por la Vida, the Alianza Nacional del Pueblo Organizado (Anadepo) and leaders of some of the other bastions of struggle of the native groups carried out a 24-hour nationwide shutdown on Thursday, November 16, an action they announced they would repeat on Monday, November 20.

Since October 23, social organizations, unions, teachers and inhabitants in general have been demonstrating against the contract, ratified by President Laurentino Cortizo and Minera Panamá, a subsidiary of the Canadian company First Quantum Minerals (FQM), which grants the concession, for 20 years renewable, to exploit almost 13,000 hectares in Coclé del Norte, province of Colón, where it would devastate tropical forests which are part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.

Local media report that, as of last weekend, more than 1,000 people have been arrested in the protests. Among them, it is noted, are 134 minors. According to official reports, the detainees are accused of vandalism, damage to property and other administrative offenses.

The protests continue in expectation that the Supreme Court of Justice will rule on the claim of unconstitutionality of said law. By November, mobilizations have been increasing to demand that the president call for extraordinary sessions of the Assembly of Deputies and present the repeal of Law 406.

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Central America

Mulino Vows Tougher Crackdown as Homicides Increase in Panama

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday that his administration will not negotiate with gangs in an attempt to curb the wave of violence that has recently shaken the country and fueled growing public concern over insecurity.

“I am not going to sit down, nor is the security minister going to sit down with the leader of any gang to negotiate,” Mulino stated while rejecting any possibility of dialogue with criminal organizations.

According to statistics from the Public Ministry of Panama, the country recorded 62 homicides in April, nearly double the 34 reported during the same month last year. In March, authorities registered 53 killings, representing a 20% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Panamanian authorities say the country’s two main gangs, among more than 180 criminal organizations identified nationwide, are behind the recent escalation in violence.

The National Police of Panama stated that disputes over territorial control, recruitment of new members, and drug theft between rival gangs are driving the increase in murders and armed attacks.

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Mulino also expressed concern about innocent civilians becoming victims of the violence.

“They are in restaurants, they are in schools, and they become victims of these shootings,” the president said.

The Panamanian leader further called for tougher judicial measures against gang leaders and drug trafficking operators, criticizing court decisions that grant house arrest to suspects linked to contract killings and organized crime.

“We are going to act as we must to defend the overwhelming majority of Panamanian citizens, who are not criminals and are not drug traffickers,” Mulino stated.

Authorities believe that rising cocaine production in South America and Panama’s role as a transit route for drugs destined for the United States and Europe continue to strengthen gangs involved in narcotics trafficking.

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Central America

Arévalo Announces Overhaul of Guatemala’s Prison System Amid Security Crisis

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said Thursday that his administration is working on a major transformation of the country’s prison system in an effort to end what he described as a “feast of corruption” inside Guatemala’s jails.

Speaking during an official ceremony in which Guatemala received 20 new inmate transport vehicles with support from the United States and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Arévalo stressed that prisons must no longer remain under the control of criminal organizations.

“Prisons should not be places where crime is perfected, but places where rehabilitation becomes possible,” the president said during his speech.

Arévalo explained that the addition of the new vehicles will strengthen security, surveillance, and operational control within the penitentiary system, which is considered one of the most overcrowded in the region.

Guatemala’s prisons currently hold more than 25,000 inmates in facilities originally designed for approximately 7,000 people, representing overcrowding levels exceeding 300%. Authorities acknowledge that these conditions have enabled gangs and criminal groups to coordinate extortion schemes, murders, and other crimes from inside prison facilities.

The crisis reached one of its most critical moments in January, when government attempts to regain control of several prisons triggered riots in three detention centers across the country.

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Following the operations, members of the Barrio 18 gang allegedly carried out armed attacks in different areas of the country, leaving 11 officers from Guatemala’s National Civil Police dead.

Central America

Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory

A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.

The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.

Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.

According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.

It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.

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The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.