Human Rights Network  fears Ombudsman facing invasion of Orcs

The “silence” of Ombudsman,  Alfredo Castillero Hoyos,  in the face of accusations of sexual harassment  and the appointment of a long time PRD activist  who was recently fired as a university professor for plagiarism,  has opened the doors to ” an army of orcs “that intends to take over  and  politicize the institution and further weaken its institutionality,  says, the Panama Human Rights Network.

Orcs are  the monsters of Celtic mythology popularized in “The Lord of the Rings.”

Mariela Arce said that on Monday, October 7, the Network, made up of thirty civil society organizations, will make a statement to the country on the state of the institution, created in  1997 to defend human rights and that in 2004 obtained the constitutional rank.

“I am concerned about the speed that has been given to these complaints in the last week, without anyone knowing for sure if a true investigation has been made in the face of such serious complaints and, on the other hand, people are already presenting their resumes to replace the defender, when the election of this official must comply with a process, such as citizen consultations, “said Arce.

On Thursday, October 3, the Women, Children, Youth and Family Committee of the National Assembly, chaired by  PRD deputy, Zulay Rodríguez, recommended the removal of Castillero Hoyos, lack of moral solvency as a result of complaints of alleged sexual harassment.

Castillero Hoyos sent a note to the Committee stating that his rights and due process were violated by not allowing him, among other things, access to the file.

 Deputy Rodriguez told journalists that this Monday or Tuesday the fate of the Defender of the People could be decided in Assembly dominated by the PRD and its allies.

Rodríguez assumes that Castillero Hoyos will be removed, because in the file – according to her – there are eight complaints that include labor, sexual and even harassment of “concealment in a case of trafficking in persons,” reports La Prensa.

Rodríguez said that Coco, who was appointed by Castillero Hoyos as a deputy defender two weeks ago despite being dismissed from the state university of the Americas as a teacher for a case of plagiarism, does not have the support of her fellow deputies to hold the position of Ombudsman.

Coco’s appointment resulted in the resignation of the General Secretary of the Ombudsman’s Office, Joyce Araújo, Araújo has said that this new official has “a political profile and an unknown human rights trajectory.”

Carlos Lee, of the Human Rights Network, said that starting Monday they will undertake a “crusade” to defend the institution and fight for its strengthening.

“Today, with a process that is clearly irregular, it is intended to give another blow to the institution and the most disadvantaged are the defenders of human rights and society in general, since it is intended to further politicize the institution called to face the abuses of the ruling power, “said Lee.

He added that in recent years governments “have used the Ombudsman’s Office as part of a political booty to employ their activists, giving a blow to the professionalism that must prevail in the officials working in this institution.”

Previous ghosts
Since the creation of the Ombudsman’s Office in 1997, during the l administration of Ernesto Pérez Balladares , the National Assembly has appointed a total of seven defenders in property: Italo Antinori (1997-2001), Juan Antonio Tejada (2001-2006), (2006), Ricardo Vargas (2007-2011), Patria Portugal (2011-2013), Lilia Herrera (2013-2016) and Alfredo Castillero Hoyos (2016-2021).

Two of them have been removed by the plenary of the National Assembly. Liborio García who had a complaint against him for domestic violence by his own wife, only lasted three months in office.

Paricia Portugal, on the other hand, was removed in , 2013, after the disclosure of at least two contracts in the Ombudsman’s Office that benefited the same family with several  hundred thousand dollars. With these actions Portugal incurred “t negligence in the fulfillment of her  duties.”

Castillero Hoyos was appointed in March 2016 with the vote of 55 of the 71 deputies when the Assembly was led by the PRD  Rubén De León and with the support of the then ruling Panamenista  Party.