A group of eleven university students was released after being detained by the National Police on the Harmodio Arias Madrid campus of the University of Panama and in the province of Veraguas. The news was confirmed by the defender of university students' rights at the University of Panama, Gilberto Marulanda, after intense efforts by the legal team of the University Ombudsman.
The five students from the School of Physical Education and the student from the Faculty of Fine Arts, detained amid protests on Tuesday, April 29, were supported by resources filed in their favor. The Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Mayanín Rodríguez, expressed concern over the request for two years of preventive imprisonment for young people aged between 19 and 26, whose only crime was being students at the University of Panama.
In response, a march was called expecting the participation of parents and students to show support for the Panamanian community and the arts in Panama. The president of the Association of Professors of the University of Panama (APUDEP), José Álvaro, questioned the judicialization of the students by the government, emphasizing that these cases should have been resolved peacefully instead of being taken to the Public Ministry.
For his part, the judge in charge of the process dismissed a request for provisional imprisonment, while the director of the Regional University Center of Veraguas reported that the released students faced no charges. The students' lawyer, Arturo Trelles, labeled the police action as disproportionate and critical, warning of the negative message sent by the Public Ministry to the community.
In a lamentable tone, the dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts pointed out the unjust detention of six students who were not involved in the protests. However, the release of the young people was highlighted, and the importance of not fearing sending children to the University of Panama was emphasized. The unity among the released students was manifested by raising the flag of Panama in a gesture of relief and hope.
