Bocas del Toro is where Francisco Smith Appears Before the Judge of Guarantees – Omega Op 3rd Day
At 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, the hearing for Francisco Smith, general secretary of the Banana Industry Workers Union (Sitraibana), began from Isla Colón and virtually. This is headquarters of the Accusatory Criminal Justice System in Bocas del Toro, pictured below:
Senior prosecutors Julio Vergara and Joseph Navas of the Public Ministry are in charge of the proceedings, which are being conducted at the Changuinola Criminal Investigation Unit, Bocas del Toro. The hearing seeks to legalize Smith’s detention, charge him, and discuss the appropriate precautionary measure. This is a continuing story, so please return for updates at a later time.
Operation Omega in Bocas del Toro for the 3rd Day: Nails in the Road, Homemade Rockets, and a Humanitarian Airlift
In Bocas del Toro, Tuesday, June 17, marks the third consecutive day of Operation Omega, the security operation activated by law enforcement to clear roads blocked since April 28 in protest of Law 462, which reformed the country’s pension system. Authorities reported that homemade rockets are being launched from the ground toward National Aeronaval Service aircraft.
Operation Omega: 48 Arrests and one Death Under Investigation
One of the most serious incidents occurred in Rambala, where the body of a citizen with a back wound was found near the area of the clashes
Operation Omega, launched by the Ministry of Public Security to restore order in Bocas del Toro, has now entered its fourth day, with at least 48 people arrested and an ongoing investigation into the death of a citizen found near the area of clashes between protesters and security forces. “We have 48 people arrested during the demonstrations: 34 by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and 14 by the justice of the peace,” Icaza stated. In the districts of Almirante and Chiriquicito alone, 16 and 18 people were arrested, respectively, while 17 protesters—including Francisco Smith pictured below, a banana leader—remains in preventive detention.
