Panamanian authorities suspended internet and mobile phone services on Saturday in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro, following President José Raúl Mulino’s declaration of a state of emergency after nearly two months of protests against his government, according to official sources.
On Friday, Mulino suspended the rights to assembly and free movement in the region, where protest groups caused damage to the airport, several businesses, and government offices, and continued blocking roads. The National Authority for Public Services (ASEP) announced on social media platform X that, based on the emergency decree, “a temporary suspension of mobile and residential internet service in the province of Bocas del Toro has been coordinated until June 25.”
ASEP clarified that internet access remains available for health services, businesses, and government entities. The demonstrations, which began almost two months ago and turned violent on Thursday, have resulted in one death, more than a hundred arrests, and dozens of injuries, including 13 police officers, according to authorities.
The state of emergency in Bocas del Toro temporarily suspends constitutional guarantees such as protection against home searches and personal communication surveillance. The National Police reported that early Saturday morning, “criminals forced open the door” of a medical supply warehouse in the banana-producing city of Changuinola, Bocas del Toro.
Since April 28, President Mulino’s government has faced ongoing protests in Bocas del Toro opposing a pension reform law. Until last week, banana workers were leading the demonstrations, but after their union reached an agreement with the government, other groups affected by the reform have continued demanding the full repeal of the law.
