Tocumen Representative Barría Reports Being Beaten by the National Police; Fernández Claims She Assaulted 3 Officers and Punched 1

Arielis Barría, a representative of the Tocumen district, reported that she was beaten with a baton by National Police riot police during a protest by residents of the area over the lack of drinking water.  Meanwhile, National Police Director Jaime Fernández denied that Barría, who participated in a roadblock on the night of Tuesday, July 15, was attacked.  Fernández indicated that Barría was defiant and aggressive toward the National Police officers who were in the area to clear the road.

‘Mulino is Repressive’

“This Mulino government is repressive and respects no one,” the township representative declared in a video posted on her Instagram account on the evening of Tuesday, July 15, following the events that occurred during the protest.  According to the representative, the attack occurred while she was trying to mediate between the community, which was protesting the constant lack of drinking water in various neighborhoods of the district, and the police units to secure the reopening of the road. “All they do is repress the people who demand the right to water,” she said.

‘Barría Attacked Officers’

According to Fernández, Barría assaulted three National Police officers and even punched one of them.  Fernández clarified that the officers at the scene were not carrying batons, so they were unable to hit the district representative.  In a statement, the National Police announced the restoration of order and the reopening of roads in the Tocumen area following an incident involving a group of residents who were demonstrating.  According to the statement, attacks against officers continued during the incident, despite calls for peace. “As a result, three people were taken to the Tocumen substation,” the National Police said.