Environmental defenders paid the price during Panama’s historic mining protests – report
By Maxwell Radwin Panama is still trying to understand the extent of the violence that took place during the massive, nationwide protests last year. Groups from all corners of the country, from teacher unions to hospital workers to Indigenous communities, were targeted by law enforcement while speaking out against pollution, deforestation and water shortages allegedly caused by the Cobre Panamá copper mine. The Supreme Court eventually ruled Minera Panamá’s contract as unconstitutional, forcing the operation to close. But not before countless protesters were injured, lost their eyesight or wer...