Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the United States’ military invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989, through Operation Just Cause. The purpose of this military action was to dismantle the Defense Forces of Panama and capture the former military man Manuel Antonio Noriega.
This operation mourned Panamanian families who lost loved ones and who to date have not yet been able to find their remains, allowing them to offer them a Christian burial.
The director of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf), José Vicente Pachar, stated that they have worked together with the December 20, 1989 Commission to be able to exhume these bodies and determine if they actually belong to the well-known “invasion”.
“Let us remember that everything seems to indicate that there are not only recognized sites such as the Garden of Peace, the Monte Esperanza cemetery where there are remains of victims of the invasion, but there are also other places that are the objective of the December 20 Commission. This research of this nature must be done in a responsible and scientific manner and following protocols ”, he explained.
He stated that in this first stage with said commission it was the collection of information, which was the basis for what came later: planning, in accordance with international protocols and standards, how exhumations should be carried out.
The first exhumations took place in the Garden of Peace, where the commission has a team of experts who collaborate with the Imelcf, who designed the excavation at the site.
According to the records and testimonies, in the aforementioned cemetery there was a group of 123 Panamanians. The work also began, after the court indicated to the Public Ministry about the disappearance of 14 Panamanians.
“In this scientific and legal framework, work is started in a meticulous manner with international advice. We receive support from the Argentine anthropological team, from the International Red Cross because this is delicate and has historical implications. The works had to be suspended due to the pandemic, and in the end 33 bags were recovered from the Garden of Peace. Of those 33 bags are added to the 8 that were recovered in the Monte Esperanza cemetery; we have 41 bags of remains of Panamanians ”, revealed Pachar.
He explained that at this time they are in the stage of analysis of pathology, dentistry, anthropology and complementary studies, adding that most have already been processed.
After this phase, the last stage is the DNA test, which is a comparative test, so the work was done to collect samples from their relatives.
