Panama's government on Friday (June 20) temporarily suspended some constitutional rights in the western province of Bocas del Toro hours after businesses and government offices were ransacked, following more than a month of protests and road blocks over a pension reform law.

The government said the situation in Bocas del Toro had "escalated dangerously" after violence on Thursday (June 19).

Nationwide, protesters - backed by unions and Indigenous groups - have faced off with authorities over a pension reform law passed in March. Confrontations have been particularly intense in Bocas del Toro, largely led by workers at a local Chiquita banana plantation.

Chiquita called the workers' strike an "unjustified abandonment of work" and sacked thousands of employees.

Those workers ultimately withdrew from the protests after they were able to negotiate the restoration of some benefits that had been removed under the March pension reform.

Still, the government has said road blocks in Bocas del Toro have yet to be lifted, though it did not directly attribute them to the Chiquita workers.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (JUNE 20, 2025) (PANAMA GOVERNMENT HANDOUT – Access all)

1. (MUTE) CABINET MEETING IN PROGRESS

2. (MUTE) PRESIDENT JOSE RAUL MULINO SPEAKING DURING MEETING

3. (MUTE) VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS DURING MEETING

4. (MUTE) MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY FRANK ABREGO DURING MEETING

5. (MUTE) MINISTER OF GOVERNMENT DINOSKA MONTALVO SPEAKING DURING MEETING

6. (MUTE) MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY JULIO MOLTO LISTENING DURING MEETING

7. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MINISTER OF PRESIDENCY, JUAN CARLOS ORILLAC, SAYING:

“Before the disruption to order and acts of systematic violence, the state will use its constitutional mandate to guarantee peace, order, and respect for the majority of Panamanians’ fundamental rights. For this reason, the national government has decided to declare a state of emergency and suspend constitutional guarantees throughout the territory of the Bocas del Toro province for five days, to restore peace and order. This measure is taken to prevent radical and criminal groups from meeting to organize acts of vandalism and violence that could put at risk property, people, and disturb peace and order.”

9. PRESS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS

BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA (JUNE 14, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

10. VARIOUS OF BULLDOZER REMOVING BRANCHES FROM ROAD TO CLEAR BLOCKADE

11. POLICE VEHICLES, AGENTS ON ROAD

12. RIOT POLICE AND ARMOURED VEHICLE MOVING FORWARD ON ROAD

13. POLICE REMOVING POT FROM ROAD

14. POLICE FIRING TEAR GAS

15. POLICE SAWING BRANCHES REMOVED FROM ROAD

16. POLICE FIRING TEAR GAS

17. AGENTS MOVING FORWARD ON ROAD, TEAR GAS SHOTS HEARD IN BACKGROUND