This Day in Panama History ‘May 10th 1989’ Marked by a Brutal Crackdown by Manuel Antonio Noriega

May 10, 1989, was a defining, violent day in Panama’s history, marked by the brutal crackdown on opposition leaders by the military regime of General Manuel Antonio Noriega, just three days after a general election that the opposition had won by a landslide. This day is remembered as a dark episode in the 1980s crisis, often referred to as the “attacco della Plaza de Santa Ana”.

Key Events of May 10, 1989

• Violent Suppression: Pro-Noriega paramilitaries, known as “Dignity Battalions,” attacked a peaceful protest march led by opposition candidates Guillermo Endara, Billy Ford, and Ricardo Arias Calderón.
• Attack on Leaders: Opposition vice-presidential candidate Guillermo “Billy” Ford was brutally beaten, resulting in an iconic image of him covered in his own blood and that of his bodyguard.
• Murder of a Bodyguard: Manuel Alexis Guerra, a bodyguard for Guillermo Ford, was shot and killed during the assault.
• Election Annulment: The Noriega-controlled Electoral Tribunal officially nullified the May 7, 1989, election results, claiming “foreign interference”.
• Attacks on Media: Members of the paramilitaries attacked journalists, including cameraman Fernando Araúz, who was wounded by a gunshot to the chest.

This violent response to the democratic victory of the opposition intensified international condemnation of the dictatorship and acted as a key precursor to the U.S. invasion of Panama in December of 1989.

It was May 10, 1989. The country was under the military regime of Manuel Antonio Noriega. Panama was facing an economic, social, and political crisis. There was repression, political persecution, and censorship.

Billy Ford pictured above left had been elected vice president three days earlier. A battalion soldier beat him with an iron bar.

U.S. invasion of Panama in December 1989