Victims oppose Noriega move to home comforts
RELATIVES of the victims of the Noriega military dictatorship and other civil groups have expressed their dismay and “strong rejection” of the decision of the Supreme Court to grant house arrest to Manuel Antonio
Noriega, who has been held in El Renacer Prison since December 2011.
Their concerns have led Supreme Court President Ayu Prado to say that the move is temporary.
Héctor Gallego, a member of a victims’ rights group, said: “Noriega must remain in prison to fulfill his sentence for the many crimes against humanity committed during the 21 years of the military dictatorship.”
He also alleged that Noriega is already housed with “a series of comforts” that are no available to other El Renacer inmates.
Noriega has been released prior to undergoing neurosurgery. Gallego said that the prison system should accommodate the health needs of inmates and not allow them to be released for
medical reasons.
“We appeal to the Panamanian courts not to grant Manuel Antonio Noriega house arrest.
“The crimes he committed during the military dictatorship have left hundreds of families with deep pain,” Gallego said. “The discomforts Noriega faces at the moment are absolutely nothing
compared to the suffering hundreds and hundreds of families went through because of his actions.”
The group wants him returned to jail after the surgery.
The 82yearold former dictator must undergo surgery to eliminate a benign tumor in his head.
Others have pointed to the “massacre” of troops under his command prior to the invasion, and the torture and alleged murder of opponents.
