What Happened
Members of the Committee of Relatives of Disappeared Victims Héctor Gallego (Cofadepa-HG) told National Assembly deputies that the State has failed to implement reparations agreed with victims families for abuses committed during the military dictatorship (1968–1989).
At a roundtable on Bill 442, promoted by substitute deputy Grettel Garrido to establish July 9 as a day of remembrance for those disappeared under the dictatorship, Cofadepa-HG spokesperson Maritza Maestre said the amicable settlement reached five years ago has not been honored.
Details of the agreement
According to Maestre, the settlement included several specific measures: financial compensation for relatives of the disappeared, construction of a memorial monument, the formal establishment of a day of remembrance, and official recognition of state responsibility for forced disappearances. The agreement also called for a historical memory report, a public act of apology and international recognition of state responsibility. Cofadepa-HG says none of these measures has been implemented.
Families also reported that judicial investigations remain incomplete: searches for the disappeared continue, remains recovered in exhumations have not been fully identified, and those responsible for enforced disappearances have not been prosecuted. Previous reports indicate many dictatorship-era cases have been archived, dismissed or declared null by courts.
Background
The military dictatorship in Panama lasted from 1968 to 1989 and was marked by systematic human rights violations. In a complaint filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), Cofadepa-HG records 116 killed and disappeared during the dictatorship, at least 39 of whom qualify as victims of forced disappearance. The group also reports 70 extrajudicial executions by members of the Panamanian military. The Commission of Truth documented the existence of torture centers where regime opponents were beaten and held in conditions of helplessness.
Family members have long denounced that they were systematically denied information about relatives’ whereabouts and that some were threatened by military personnel. They say slow investigations by the Public Ministry and security agencies have led to the loss of crucial evidence.
What this means
Bill 442, the legislative proposal that would make July 9 a civic day of national reflection and require schools to hold commemoration activities, was welcomed by Maestre as a recognition from the Legislative Branch. Proponent Grettel Garrido has said the bill seeks to acknowledge the harm suffered by hundreds of citizens and to partially address the absence of justice.
Families of the disappeared insist they remain in search of truth: “Seguimos en la búsqueda de la verdad: dónde están y qué les hicieron,” they say, and call on authorities to fulfill reparations, reopen and conclude investigations, identify recovered remains, and hold those responsible to account.