The Spanish journalist Francisco Gómez Nadal was arrested in Panama City while covering a demonstration organized by indigenous groups protesting mining reforms they believe would harm the environment, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune.
The Panamanian government said in a statement that the detention of the journalist was a result of his "instigating" and "organizing" citizens to protest before the National Assembly, reported Europa Press. The newspaper La Prensa added that Gómez Nadal was arrested for “inciting violence.”
Vanguardia speculated that Gómez Nadal could be expelled from the country, as the law prohibits foreigners from participating in political demonstrations.
The journalist, a freelancer for the Spanish newspaper El País, was detained when following the demonstration as an "observer" and coordinator in Panama for the human rights defense organization "Human Rights Everywhere," according to ABC.
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» Terra (Confrontation between indigenous groups and police in Panama (in Spanish)
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
