Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2002 - Panama
- Document source:
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Date:
26 March 2003
Intrusion into the SERPAJ offices149
In the night of 14th August 2002 the Panama City offices of the Peace and Justice Service (Servicio Paz y Justicia – SERPAJ) were burgled. Electronic equipment and supplies were stolen, along with documents pertaining to an investigation on arms trafficking in the region, in particular 200 copies of a recent publication on arms in Panama.
Video tapes on the work of the organisation relating to peasants, women and children were also taken. The next day the SERPAJ lodged a complaint with the Technical Judicial Police of Panama City. At the end of 2002 the complaint had as yet produced no result. The burglary of its premises seriously hampered the work of the organisation, which finds it difficult to understand how the thieves could have entered unseen, as the building is situated between two strongly-lit banks.
[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]
149. See urgent appeal PAN 001/0802/OBS 049.
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