(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama)
National Mourning Day is a national public holiday in Panama on December 20th each year so this year, it happens on a Friday. The holiday commemorates the Panamanians who died during the 1989 U.S. invasion of the country.
In March 2022, the former President of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, declared an annual national holiday to commemorate Panamanians who died during the 1989 U.S. invasion of the country.
The decree signed by the President establishes December 20th, the date of the invasion, as a national day of mourning.“By enacting this law, we settle a debt with the nation, with those who died in that tragic event, who we remember with respect,” Cortizo said.
“It took us a long time to achieve this demand, and finally, the day has arrived,” said Trinidad Ayola, president of the Association of Friends and Relatives of Victims of December 20th.
On December 20, 1989, nearly 30,000 US soldiers attacked positions across Panama.
The US invasion was the largest since Vietnam and the first after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Many Panamanians saw the invasion as something different from how the US portrayed it.
The victims of the invasion are still demanding justice.
Demonstrations and protests often occur in Panama City and at the US Embassy in Clayton on December 20. The US Embassy will be closed to the public on this date.
The United States invaded Panama on December 20th 1989, in an operation codenamed Operation Just Cause. The U.S. stated the operation was“necessary to safeguard the lives of U.S. citizens in Panama, defend democracy and human rights, combat drug trafficking, and secure the neutrality of the Panama Canal as required by the Torrijos–Carter Treaties”. Noriega was captured and flown to Miami to be tried.
The conflict ended on January 31st 1990.
The number of Panamanians killed during the Just Cause operation is estimated to range from a few hundred to many thousands, depending on the source.
Official US count:
The US reports that 202 civilians and 314 military Panamanians were killed.
Human rights organizations estimate that many more civilians died.
Other effects of the invasion include:
Many civilians disappeared and were buried in mass graves.
Many civilians were wounded.
Approximately 18,000 civilians were left homeless due to the destruction of their homes.
Many of the homeless lived in refugee camps.
One of the first documentaries available was called“The Panama Deception”. American Elizabeth Montgomery, who we all know as“Samantha” on“Bewitched” chose to narrate“The Panama Deception,” which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. You can still watch this documentary on You Tube.
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