Panama: Persecution of political party leaders in Panama; information on the Grupo de Estudiantes de Panama
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAN0922 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Panama: Persecution of political party leaders in Panama; information on the Grupo de Estudiantes de Panama, 1 May 1989, PAN0922, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aadc33.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Attached are copies of the following documents which provide background information on the situation of human rights and political opposition in Panama:
-Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), pp. 657-667.
-Alarming deterioration in Panama's Human Rights Situation, Amnesty International News Release, 17 March 1988, 2 pages.
-Revolutionary and Dissident Movements, (London: Longman Publishing Group, 1988), p. 285.
-Amnesty Report 1988, (London: Amnesty International 1988), pp. 128-129.
Besides the information provided in the attached documents, Index on Censorship magazine reports in the issues of January, July 1988 and January 1989, the beating and imprisonment of journalists who criticized the government, as well as the arrest and beating of thirty opposition leaders in April 1988. Last year, the government provided weapons to civilian supporters who were organized into a paramilitary force called "Dignity Battalion", which has been blamed for violent attacks on demonstrators and opposition leaders. These attacks include the beating of candidates of the three-party opposition coalition which observers claim were the winners of the recent election. [ "Noriega opponents attacked in election protest", in The Globe and Mail, 11 May 1989, p. A1; and "Election protesters attacked in Panama", in The Globe and Mail, 9 May 1989, p. A8.]
No specific information on a group called "Grupo de Estudiantes de Panama" could be found among the sources presently available at the IRBDC, Ottawa. However, numerous incidents of students attacked and/or arrested while demonstrating are reported in the attached documents.
