Regional Network Escazú Ahora Statement regarding the state of Adopta Bosque and CIAM in Panama

2 days ago
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Regional Network Escazú Ahora Statement regarding the state of

Adopta Bosque and CIAM in Panama

From the Regional Network Escazú Ahora, we express our deep concern and strongly condemn the attempts to silence the work of the environmental organizations Centro de Incidencia Ambiental (CIAM) and Adopta Bosque in Panama through legal attacks that include the temporary seizure (judicial attachment) of bank accounts and assets, civil lawsuits, and criminal complaints.

These actions were promoted in the context of their opposition to the Puerto Barú project in David, Chiriquí, questioning their right to file legal actions to review the legality of the project’s approvals. The seizure of accounts and assets has had an immediate impact on the organizations’ operations, jeopardizing the payment of salaries, labor obligations, and the continuity of conservation, education, and environmental research projects—a situation that has already been officially reported by the affected organizations.

As a platform that brings together organizations promoting the Escazú Agreement throughout the region, we reaffirm that environmental defense, reporting of potential impacts, and citizen participation in matters of public interest are essential to ensure the democratic development of all states. Likewise, these rights are protected by the Constitution of Panama, Panama’s accession to the Escazú Agreement, and international human rights and environmental instruments, which include:

Right to a healthy environment (Art. 118 of the Constitution of Panama).
Freedom of expression and the right to inform (Art. 37 of the Constitution; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).
Right to citizen participation in environmental management (Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration; Escazú Agreement).
Right to judicial defense and access to justice (Art. 201 of the Constitution; Escazú Agreement).

We urge the Panamanian State, particularly the judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the competent administrative authorities, to ensure that judicial proceedings and precautionary measures are not used as mechanisms of harassment, intimidation, or retaliation against civil society organizations that legitimately exercise their right to environmental defense. We request that the legality, necessity, proportionality, and reasonableness of the financial measures imposed be strictly evaluated, in accordance with international human rights standards, the principle of non-regression in environmental matters, and the obligations assumed by Panama under the Escazú Agreement, particularly regarding the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters.

Finally, we consider that the use of financial precautionary measures to pressure environmental defense organizations constitutes a form of intimidation that violates the principles of freedom of expression, association, participation, and access to justice.

We call for strengthening and respecting protection mechanisms for environmental human rights defenders, ensuring that they can carry out their work without fear of retaliation and with full guarantees for the continuity of their conservation and environmental education projects, which are vital for the protection of ecosystems and the well-being of communities.

Signatories to this declaration:

NGO FIMA, Chile
Comunicación y Educación Ambiental SC, Mexico
Derecho Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR), Peru
Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad, Colombia
Derecho Ambiental de Honduras (IDAMHO), Honduras
Instituto de Abogados para la Protección del Medio Ambiente (INSAPROMA), Dominican Republic
Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN), Argentina
Asociación Generaciones de Paz (ASDEPAZ), El Salvador
Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA), Mexico
Cultura Ecológica, Mexico
Reacción Climática, Bolivia

Press contact:

Panama: Julio Villalobos, phone: (507) 6670-1085.

Regional Network Escazú Ahora: Constanza Dougnac, WhatsApp: (569) 99378564