Solidarity with the Panamanian People

The Steering Committee of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) expresses its solidarity with the struggle of the Panamanian people for the defense of their sovereignty, social security and their natural resources.

Social movements are resisting neoliberal policies and the current government's attempts to bring US military bases back to the country. The government's response has been the political persecution of social leaders, their imprisonment, the withholding of teachers' salaries, the dismantling of unions, and the militarization and criminalization of social protest. This is made possible by the Executive Branch's control over the Public Prosecutor's Office and the National Police, with the complicity of the mainstream media.

The Steering Committee views with concern the deterioration of the conditions of Panamanian democracy, as well as the elimination of constitutional guarantees in the northwestern province of Bocas del Toro, which has been used in recent days to suppress communications, internet and basic services, the illegal detention of protesters, the violation of their homes and the takeover of the entire territory by the National Border Service (SENAFRONT).

The repressive actions of recent days have been deployed against Indigenous territory and populations. In Bocas del Toro, most of the protesters are agricultural workers belonging to the Ngäbe ethnic group and are directly affected by the recent social security reforms approved by the Panamanian government. Similarly, in the eastern part of the country, in the Arimae community, the Emberá population was repressed, their homes burned, leaving 120 injured and leaders imprisoned.

The Steering Committee urges Panamanian society and its government to seek negotiated solutions while preserving the rights of the most vulnerable sectors, as well as sovereignty, without foreign interference.

CLACSO Steering Committee
June 23 2025