New Law for the Defender of the People in Panama

Eduardo Leblanc, the Defender of the People, stated that they will work well on the regulation of the norm, for which they have six months, so that the procedures are very clear and do not leave room for interpretations. With the sanction of Law No. 504 of December 18, 2025, which repeals Law 7 of 1997, an aspect that has been worked on and that has cost a lot, in the Defender's opinion, is to depoliticize the entity. With the new law of the Defender of the People, the entity assumes binding decisions, an aspect that was not previously contemplated and for which it was always criticized for its scope in social issues. Likewise, the Defender will be able to file judicial appeals to restore rights to citizens and constitutional guarantees. Eduardo Leblanc, Defender of the People, explained that now the first binding action of the Defender will be through mediation and cooperation. Finally, a work that was marked by the support for the transit of more than a million migrants, the three major general strikes that have passed (2022, 2023, 2025), the childhood reports (the case of the shelters of 2021), women's reports, and reports on deprived of liberty, could be reconciled. This implies mediating in conflicts that arise between individuals and the Public Administration or mixed or private companies to promote agreements that solve the violation of rights, which must be complied with by the parties. He affirmed that since he arrived at the Defender's Office in 2020, they had to attend a video call for a judgment of the entity he directs. This work, continued Leblanc, allowed it to be internationally recognized that something was being done and for the Defender of the People of Panama to regain the 'A' Status in Human Rights. The response time from the authorities or companies to the entity is reduced to 15 business days and they can only request an extension of 15 additional days.