Leaders of social and political organizations in Panama paid posthumous tribute to the heroes and Latin American fighters who fell in the tenacious defense of Venezuela during the attack launched by U.S. forces in the early hours of January 3, 2026. At the headquarters of the Cuban Embassy in Panama, Cuban Ambassador Orestes Pérez-Pérez highlighted that 32 Cuban fighters fought under intense fire until the last minute, without retreating, against a lethal naval air force deployed by the United States in the Venezuelan Caribbean. "That people (Venezuela) was attacked in the difficult and dark night of January 3, in a treacherous and vile manner," he stated. He also forecast the imminent liberation of the kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, forcibly transferred to the continental territory of the United States. Panamanian activist Lilian Ruiz, president of the National Coordination of Solidarity with Cuba, read a communiqué whose text condemns the U.S. military attack on Venezuela and honors the courage of the defenders of Venezuelan sovereignty. Ruiz stressed the unrestricted solidarity with the people of Venezuela, heir to the sovereign and anti-colonial thought of Simón Bolívar. The solidarity vigil coincided with the official acts celebrating the Cuban revolution and the 67th anniversary of the triumphant entry of Commander Fidel Castro into the city of Havana, after defeating the tyranny of Fulgencio Batista. When the names of those who fell in combat in Caracas were mentioned one by one, Pérez-Pérez clarified that although the United States possesses a powerful army, that force "could not bend in a short time, as was its intention, the courage of 32 Cubans who knew how to defend with their lives the dignity of the people of Cuba and the people of Venezuela." For his part, the consul of Venezuela in Panama, Julio Chávez, stated that "we come with much pain, but with much dignity, to pay tribute" to the fighters who faced a high-tech war unleashed against the heroic and sacrificial Bolivarian people in resistance. In this regard, Chávez predicted that in this century the progressive forces will obtain, sooner rather than later, victory over U.S. imperialism that dared to bomb Venezuela. The participants in the commemorative ceremony stood up from their seats to applaud and shout "PRESENT!"
Panamanian Activists Honor Cuban and Venezuelan Heroes
Leaders of Panamanian organizations paid tribute to 32 Cuban fighters who fell while defending Venezuela during a U.S. attack. The event, held at the Cuban Embassy, was dedicated to the struggle against imperialism and solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
