Cultural Survival, as an international organization committed to defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world, expresses deep concern and condemnation of the increasing repression by the Panamanian State against Indigenous Peoples and the general population who are mobilizing in defense of their collective rights.
In recent weeks, members of the Ngäbe-Buglé, Emberá, and Guna Peoples have peacefully demonstrated their outrage about legislative reforms such as Law 462 on the Social Security Fund and the reopening of mining activities previously rejected by the public.
The State response has been disproportionate and violent, with reports of the use of firearms, tear gas, police incursions into communities, arbitrary arrests, raids without warrants, and repression against protesters, including children, adolescents, and Elders. Indigenous women, many of them community leaders and human rights defenders, have also been victims of threats and criminalization, in clear violation of their integrity, dignity, and rights as political and spiritual subjects within their communities.
We urge the State of Panama to immediately halt all forms of violence, criminalization, and repression against Indigenous Peoples and to guarantee the right to social protest as a legitimate expression of democratic participation.
As a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Panama is legally obligated to protect the right to life, personal integrity, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly. The excessive use of force by state agents, especially against historically marginalized peoples, is incompatible with these international commitments.
We urge international human rights mechanisms, United Nations Special Rapporteurs, the Inter-American System, and all global civil society organizations to:
- Closely monitor the events in Panama.
- Demand that the State fully respect the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially women, children, and human rights defenders.
- Follow up on the cases of arbitrary detentions, institutional violence, and repression documented in communities such as Tolé, Viguí, El Piro, Ojo de Agua, El Prado, Trinidad, Arimae, and Piriatí.
- Follow up on the situation in Changuinola regarding the firing of about 5,000 banana workers for their participation in the strike.
Peaceful protest is not a crime. Criminalizing those who speak out against policies imposed without consultation or consent only deepens exclusion and conflict.
At Cultural Survival, we are in full solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Panama and join their call for justice, respect, and true dialogue.
