"Panama Hits Activists With Terrorism Charges Over Successful Anti-Mining Protests", 19 January 2024

...Damaris Sanchez...was a vocal figure in the anti-mining protests that shut down portions of Panama late last year, and forced the country to rescind the contract for the largest open-pit copper mine in Central America in November...Now, she is being taken to court.

She is one of 21 people being accused of terrorism in Panama’s western state of Chiriquí and roughly 30 people around the country who are facing charges. The cases against the activists are part of what Panamanian social movement leaders are describing as an unprecedented wave of criminalizations, on the backs of widespread police repression during the country’s recent month-long protests.

The protests kicked off on October 23, three days after Panama’s congress approved a new mining contract with the Canadian firm First Quantum Minerals. President Laurentino Cortizo signed it into law only hours later...

Unions, students, teachers and Indigenous groups marched across the country. The country’s anti-mining movement “Panama Is Worth More Without Mining,” composed of more than 30 Panamanian social and environmental groups, led the way. They accused the government of handing over part of Panama to a foreign company...Four people were killed in the protests...