The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, recalled on Monday, June 22, 2026, during the inauguration in the Central American country of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), the political and human rights situation that exists in Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia.
Mulino affirmed that, in its capacity as host State, Panama considers its “obligation” to point out what the organization “cannot ignore,” in reference to the situation in Nicaraguawhere he denounced a “serious deterioration in respect for human rights.”
“The persecution of opponents“, the systematic closure of civic space, the expulsion of humanitarian organizations, the imprisonment of religious leaders and the forced exile of thousands of citizens are facts incompatible with the principles that this organization defends,” said the Panamanian president.
In his speech, Mulino also referred to Cuba, expressing the hope that its people “will soon find the path to full democracy.”
Also, he maintained that democratic values “do not belong to any era or political current,” but rather constitute a “promise of the hemisphere” still pending with the island.
Mulino also addressed the situation in Venezuela, demanding a “very prompt democratic transition” and full respect for representative democracy, with the call for “free, monitored and democratic” elections that allow the country to “get back on track” in the institutional framework.
Crisis in Bolivia
Regarding the situation in Bolivia, the Panamanian president expressed his solidarity with the Government headed by Rodrigo Paz, which, he said, faces threats from radical sectors and organized crime.
Mulino assured that he had supported the Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, a proposal to form a commission of foreign ministers and ministers of Defense or Public Security to travel “as soon as possible” to Bolivia, in order to provide support to the Bolivian president and contribute to resolving the institutional crisis.
“The democratic government of Bolivia today faces a deliberate campaign of destabilization,” said the Panamanian president, who condemned “any attempt to subvert the constitutional order by violent and illegitimate means.”
“I support President Paz in calling (on Saturday, June 20) a state of exception,” he remarked.
