Environmentalists in Panama clarify that the legal measure is precautionary and not a sentence, denouncing an attempt to stifle criticism of the project’s impacts. Environmental organizations Centro de Incidencia Ambiental(CIAM) and ADOPTA Bosque denounced on Thursday, February 5, an “unprecedented attack” against the defense of natural heritage and freedom of expression in Panama, after the company linked to the Puerto Barú project requested the preventive seizure of its bank accounts and assets.
According to representatives of both organizations, the measure was promoted by the developer of the port project in David, Chiriquí province, along with the US investment firm Ocean Pacific Financial Service, as part of a civil process that seeks to secure assets for a possible future lawsuit. Environmentalists stressed that the legal action does not constitute a sentence or a sanction, but a precautionary measure that, in their view, aims to stop their work of publicly denouncing the environmental impacts of the project.
“The US investment company Ocean Pacific Financial Service has launched another unprecedented attack against two Panamanian organizations. This time through a civil process of preventive seizure of bank accounts and assets to try to silence our organizations in the work of defending the right to a healthy environment,” spokespeople said during the press conference.
The organizations maintain that their campaign does not seek to eliminate the project, but rather to relocate it to an area where it will not affect the David mangroves or their biodiversity. They assert that their claims are supported by scientific studies and interviews with experts, technicians, teachers, fishermen, and tour operators from the area. Among the impacts noted are alterations in ocean currents, reproductive cycles of species, effects of dredging, and risks to the health of the ecosystem. Furthermore, they stressed that they have never defamed the company or made personal attacks, but that their communications have been limited to warning about the environmental consequences of port development in one of the “most valuable mangrove ecosystems in the region”.
