Holding the US accountable for the 1989 invasion of Panama

On December 20, each year, in Panama City, people march. They carry banners and flags. Images of the faces of many of those who were killed. Those in the crowd chant and, as day turns to night, they carry candles, remembering the fallen. Those who were killed in the last US invasion in Latin America.

The date was December 20, 1989. 26,000 US troops descended on Panama. They attacked key locations around the country, pouring down bombs and missiles. Whole neighborhoods were burned and went up in smoke.

The pretext was the capture of President Manuel Noriega under the charge of drug trafficking. The United States did not mind ripping apart the country to achieve their mission.

US forces destroyed 20,000 homes. They killed hundreds—at least 560 people. Many of them innocent, hard-working family members. US forces dumped many of their bodies into mass graves.

And people responded. They protested. They are still protesting. Protesting to remember the victims. Protesting to demand justice. To demand that the United States be held accountable for its crimes. 

They also took the United States to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, and won. In 2018, the commission ruled that the US should pay reparations over what was seen as an illegal invasion.

The United States has ignored the ruling. Pretended that it doesn’t exist. And there is no legal means of making the United States pay. But it was a landmark decision. The first time victims from one country had brought the government of another before the commission and won.

And even if the United States turns a blind eye, the people have not forgotten. They will not be silent. They continue to demand justice for US crimes on Panamanian soil. They continue to march in honor of the innocent people killed by an illegal US invasion just over 35 years ago. Resisting US imperialism until today. 

In 2022, Panama officially declared December. 20 “el dia del duelo nacional” or “the day of national mourning” in honor of the victims of the 1989 US invasion. This year, Panamanians have continued to march against the United States. Against Donald Trump’s calls for the canal to be handed back over to the United States. And against agreements between the Trump administration and Panama’s current government that have again allowed a ramp-up of US troops on Panamanian soil. 

Things sometimes repeat themselves to terrible consequences. But in Panama and elsewhere around the world and Latin America, people have promised they will not be silent. They are going to stand up to the United States then, now, and far into the future. 

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Hi, folks. Thanks for listening. I’m your host, Michael Fox. 

I know I’ve been focusing a lot over the last few episodes on protests against US intervention or US threats in Latin America. I promise I’ll take a little break after today.

It’s just that these are really important stories that cannot be forgotten, in particular, today, as the United States continues its drive for war in Venezuela. And I couldn’t let this December 20 anniversary slip by without doing something on the yearly marches for justice and in memory of the victims of the 1989 US invasion.

If you would like to hear more of my reporting from Panama on the 1989 invasion I suggest you please check out episode 13 of the first season of my podcast Under the Shadow. In it, I travel to Panama City and spend the whole episode looking back at the time and trying to decipher what it means today.

Also, I have pretty exciting news. I’m launching Season 2 of Under the Shadow. In the first episode I try to draw the parallels between the 1989 invasion and Trump’s threats in Latin America today. I’ll add links to both of those episodes in the show notes. 

As always, if you enjoy this podcast, and you appreciate my reporting, I hope you’ll consider following me on Patreon. You can find me at Patreon.com/mfox. It’s totally free. You’ll get updates every time I’ve posted something new online. And if you like what’s there, I have a ton of exclusive content, only available to my paid supporters. And every supporter really makes a difference.

This is episode 81 of Stories of Resistance. If you don’t already subscribe to the show you can follow the links in the show notes. Stories of Resistance is produced by The Real News. Each week I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times. And please, if you like what we do, rate us, leave a comment or a review, and help us spread the word.

As always, thanks for listening. See you next time.