{"id":18361,"date":"2026-10-28T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=18361"},"modified":"2026-10-27T16:17:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T21:17:28","slug":"indigenous-organizations-meet-in-panama-to-discuss-growing-judicial-harassment-across-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/environment-wildlife\/indigenous-organizations-meet-in-panama-to-discuss-growing-judicial-harassment-across-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Organizations Meet in Panama to Discuss Growing Judicial Harassment Across Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Human rights defenders from across Latin America warned on Tuesday that an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indigenous_rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indigenous rights<\/a> protest<\/strong> movement is being systematically dismantled through <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Prosecutor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">criminal prosecutions<\/a>, stigmatization campaigns, and threats against activists who oppose <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/environment-wildlife\/minister-molto-its-nothing-serious-as-panama-copper-mine-landslide-triggers-water-safety-review\/\" rel=\"internal\">extractive projects<\/a>. The warnings came during a parallel event at the 197th session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), which is meeting in Panama City through Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Representatives from Colombia, Panama, and other regional nations presented cases showing how judicial systems are being deployed against environmental and indigenous leaders who challenge <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/environment-wildlife\/marine-species-seizure-exposes-illegal-fishing-in-panama-park\/\" rel=\"internal\">mining operations<\/a>, water privatization, and <a href=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/pedasi-mayor-warns-interior-will-be-forgotten-after-earthquake-damage-reconstruction\/\" rel=\"internal\">land displacement<\/a>. Organizers said the pattern has intensified as transnational corporations expand extraction activities in protected territories and indigenous comarcas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">\u261d\ufe0f\u2705 En el marco del 197.\u00ba Per\u00edodo de Sesiones de la Comisi\u00f3n Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (@CIDH ), en Ciudad de Panam\u00e1, desde la CNTI participamos junto con la @MPCindigena en el di\u00e1logo sobre libre determinaci\u00f3n y autonom\u00edas ind\u00edgenas.\n\n\u27a1\ufe0f\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f Denunciamos las demoras hist\u00f3ricas en el reconocimiento de nuestros territorios y la persistencia de la violencia contra nuestros pueblos. Tambi\u00e9n alertamos sobre los riesgos de retroceso en la consulta previa frente a medidas administrativas e iniciativas normativas que pueden debilitar sus garant\u00edas.\n\n\u26a0\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f Solicitamos a la CIDH un seguimiento riguroso al cumplimiento de sus recomendaciones y a las obligaciones del Estado colombiano, con especial atenci\u00f3n a la protecci\u00f3n integral de los territorios y al respeto por nuestras decisiones.\n\n\ud83d\udcf2\ud83d\udc49 Te invitamos a ver las intervenciones completas de Camilo Ni\u00f1o Izquierdo, Secretario T\u00e9cnico Ind\u00edgena de la CNTI, y de Heber Tegr\u00eda Uncar\u00eda, Secretario T\u00e9cnico Ind\u00edgena de la MPC, en nuestro canal de YouTube.\n\n\u00a1Defender los territorios es defender la vida!<\/p>&mdash; Comisi\u00f3n Nacional de Territorios Ind\u00edgenas (@CNTI_Indigena) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CNTI_Indigena\/status\/2115181272364359734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 27, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Criminalization of Indigenous Rights Protest Leaders in Panama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feliciano Santos, a Ng\u00e4be indigenous leader and member of the Movement for the Defense of Territories and Ecosystems of Bocas del Toro (MODETEAB), told the commission that Panamanian authorities are using the Public Ministry to prosecute community leaders who denounce land usurpation and crop destruction in Bocas del Toro province and surrounding indigenous regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We are being criminalized and persecuted by the Public Ministry right now. It is regrettable that state structures are being used to judicialize indigenous leaders for demanding rights&#8221; [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Santos said the prosecutions aim to generate fear and prevent communities from asserting territorial claims, particularly where extractive activities are advancing. He called for stronger coordination between social movements, organizations, and affected communities to develop collective responses to state repression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gemini-generated-image-vti46gvti46gvti4-1200x800-1.webp\" alt=\"Indigenous people been arrested. By Nacion.\" class=\"wp-image-18363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gemini-generated-image-vti46gvti46gvti4-1200x800-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/gemini-generated-image-vti46gvti46gvti4-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Indigenous people been arrested. By Nacion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Colombian Water Defenders Report Death Threats and Stigmatization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mayerli L\u00f3pez, representing Colombia&#8217;s Committee for the Defense of Water and the Santurb\u00e1n P\u00e1ramo, described a critical situation where activists protecting a water source serving over two million people face coordinated discrediting campaigns. The Santurb\u00e1n p\u00e1ramo supplies water to major population centers while transnational companies pursue gold, silver, and copper mining projects in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;This is accompanied by a strategy of criminalization and stigmatization. Threats against environmental activists&#8217; lives occur simultaneously, treating us as outlaw groups simply for defending water and land&#8221; [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">L\u00f3pez said these accusations delegitimize environmental demands and increase the vulnerability of social movement participants. The p\u00e1ramo ecosystem, a high-altitude wetland unique to the Andes, has become a flashpoint for conflicts between water security and mining interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whatsapp-image-2026-10-27-at-3-14-181-14854160-20261027131753-1200x800-1.webp\" alt=\"Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) by CIDH.\" class=\"wp-image-18362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whatsapp-image-2026-10-27-at-3-14-181-14854160-20261027131753-1200x800-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whatsapp-image-2026-10-27-at-3-14-181-14854160-20261027131753-1200x800-1-150x100.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) by CIDH.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">CIDH Sessions Continue as Civic Space Shrinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The parallel event highlighted what participants described as shrinking civic space for environmental and indigenous defenders throughout the hemisphere. Organizations documented difficulties in carrying out their work and participating in decisions affecting their communities, alongside the more visible threats of prosecution and violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The CIDH sessions continue through October 30 at the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament headquarters, with approximately 29 public hearings and civil society dialogues scheduled. The commission has previously issued precautionary measures for environmental defenders in several Latin American countries, though activists say enforcement remains inconsistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regional organizations plan to present consolidated documentation of judicial harassment cases to the commission, urging member states to guarantee freedom of expression and protection for those defending water, indigenous territories, and environmental rights. The testimony from Panama and Colombia reflects a broader regional trend where environmental governance disputes increasingly end up in criminal courts rather than administrative or political forums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DfArnbJBFr8\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DfArnbJBFr8\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">Ver esta publicaci\u00f3n en Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DfArnbJBFr8\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Una publicaci\u00f3n compartida por La Estrella de Panam\u00e1 (@laestrellaonline)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Human rights defenders from across Latin America warned on Tuesday that an indigenous rights protest movement is being systematically dismantled through criminal prosecutions, stigmatization campaigns, and threats against activists who oppose extractive projects. The warnings came during a parallel event at the 197th session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), which is meeting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,31,37],"tags":[515,7683,78,7684,604],"class_list":["post-18361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment-wildlife","category-crime-safety","category-events-culture","tag-human-rights","tag-human-rights-defenders","tag-indigenous-rights","tag-judicial-crackdown","tag-latin-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18361"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18365,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18361\/revisions\/18365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}