Truth Commission (Panama)

The Panama Truth Commission was appointed by Panamanian president Mireya Moscoso in 2000 to investigate crimes committed under the military rule of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega.

In December 2000, human remains were discovered at a Panamanian National Guard base, incorrectly believed to be those of Jesús Héctor Gallego Herrera, a priest murdered during the Torrijos dictatorship. Moscoso appointed a truth commission to investigate the site and those at other bases. The commission faced opposition from the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), which had been the party of both Torrijos and Noriega. The PRD-controlled National Assembly slashed the commission's funding, and PRD president Balbina Herrera threatened to seek legal action against the president for its creation. The commission ultimately reported on 110 of the 148 cases it examined, of which 40 had disappeared and 70 were known to be murdered. The report concluded that the Noriega government had engaged in "torture [and] cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment", and recommended further exhumation and investigation.

In 1981, General Omar Torrijos was killed in a plane crash and his defense force leader General Manuel Noriega took power. During this period the United States still controlled the Canal Zone and had immense influence in various areas of the country (including economic influence). Six years into Noriega’s rule, the United States decided to cut its economic assistance to Panama.

In 1989, Noriega influenced the election a great deal since most Panamanians wanted to rid the country of military rule. This led to riots and instability, which caused the United States to send in troops. The US responded quickly to these riots and were able to use military force to crush the riots and rebellions. This was due to US-Panamanian treaties involving the Canal Zone. The result of US military involvement led to the arrest of Noriega. He was sentenced for forty-years on charges for drug trafficking. Finally in 2001, President Mireya Moscoso – widow to former President Arnulfo Arias Madrid – established the truth commission after the discovery of bones at several military bases.

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