This concession granted the exploitation of a 13,000-hectare mine in the heart of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, in the Caribbean region of the country. [...] The Defensoría also stated that, “it failed to respect the Rule of law,” in that the first ruling of unconstitutionality in 2017 was not published in the Official Ledger until 2021 and that, despite the 2016 lawsuit against the concession, then-president Juan Carlos Varela renewed the concession 20 more years through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. [...] This violated the public right to be “informed in an effective, understandable and timely manner,” and that the Assembly’s approval of the contract, despite the aforementioned, violated the collective right to public participation in Article 257 of the Political Constitution of Panama.10 INDEPENDENTLY-DOCUMENTED CASES, EVENTS, AND INCIDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF PROTESTS AGAINST THE MINING CONTRACT Th. [...] Two were hit by vehicle, one in the province of Colón where the mine is located; and the other in the province of Chiriquí, on the border with Costa Rica in the west of the country. [...] The hot spots were around the National Assembly building, the University of Panama, the 19 de Julio bridge in Santiago, the crossroads of Horconcitos in Chiriquí, Chepo, the port at Punta Rincón and on the roads to the mining project site, going through La Pintada in the province of Coclé.
- Pages
- 52
- Published in
- Canada
