Twenty-nine years after the American invasion of Panama, 272 plaintiffs have finally found justice for destruction caused by the push to oust Manuel Noriega.
The human-rights bureau of the Organization of American States — both the United States and Panama are members — found on October 5 that American attacks on Panamanian civilians and settlements during the invasion violated the Geneva Convention.
While the U.S. argued strenuously that it had attacked within the bounds of international law, testimony and extensive additional research ultimately swayed the organization.
With the finding comes the recommendation that the U.S. provide economic reparations, and some sort of mechanism to address physical and psychological trauma.
Sources: La Prensa (Panama), Organization of American States