A group of people is detained in the Deborah Penitentiary in Guabito, Changuinola district, under an unjust premise and without solid evidence, based on assumptions. Among the detainees is a woman with a newborn baby, all treated as criminals despite their guilt not being proven.
The conflict in question arose from a land dispute between the Naso Comarca and the Renacer Foundation, a foreign company owned by Colombian businessman Max Freddy Ordóñez Ferreira. This company is engaged in agricultural activities that have expanded beyond the territorial limits of the Naso Tjër Di Comarca, lands that have historically been occupied by the Naso even before the creation of the Republic of Panama.
The leaders of the National Coordinator of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (COONAPIP) have denounced this situation as a "Criminalization of Indigenous Leaders in defense of their rights to territorial security," considering that it represents a dangerous precedent that threatens the traditional authorities fighting for the recognition and defense of their ancestral territories and their right to self-determination. COONAPIP has declared its maximum state of alert and demands the immediate release of the leaders of the Naso Tjër Di Comarca, unjustly detained.
In an unprecedented event, the King of the Naso Tjër Di Comarca, Ardinteo Santana Torres, and seven other leaders were detained on the morning of March 11, 2025, in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro province. Their detention, authorized by the Public Ministry, was justified under the implausible accusation of representing a "Threat" based on fictitious arguments. The detention of these original authorities has generated concern and has been condemned as a flagrant abuse and a lack of respect towards the authorities and leaders of the Naso people.