Since April 2025, Panama has experienced nationwide protests led by construction workers, teachers’ unions, Indigenous communities, and environmental groups. The protesters oppose a range of government decisions, including reforms to the Social Security Fund, the reopening of the Panama Copper Mine, construction of a reservoir in the Río Indio basin, and new defence agreements signed between President Mulino and the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Police has responded with excessive force including widespread roadblocks and street closures, particularly in Indigenous territories. Reports have emerged of over 200 arrests, injuries, and allegations of police brutality, including excessive use of tear gas and arbitrary detentions—raising concerns about the criminalisation of protest.
This comes also after President Mulino publicly responded to the protests, particularly the 4 April demonstration by teachers and construction workers. In a controversial statement, he dismissed the protesters as communists, accusing them of “fishing in anarchy” and called the protests a “national failure.”
He also described the University of Panama as a “den of terrorists following student-led protests and road closures. These remarks have drawn criticism for inflaming tensions and undermining the right to peaceful protest.