According to the document, the repression of recent social protests and the criminalización of dissidence in Panama evoke the worst episodes of its history.

The letter compares the current situation with military governments and calls for international observation of possible human rights violations.

The signatories, artists, academics, activists, workers, trade unionists and common citizens demand the president to stop what they describe as an “authoritarian drift”.

Among the signatories are well-known names such as singer Yomira John, musician Rómulo Castro, environmentalist Raisa Banfield, and former Ecuadorian minister and environmentalist Alberto Acosta.

They are joined by mothers, students, teachers, chefs, workers, lawyers and workers from more than 17 countries, including Panama, China, Spain, the United States, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras and Colombia, among others.

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