Kenneth Darlington, 77, who worked as a lawyer and professor, shot dead two activists in Panama on Tuesday. They protested against the controversial mining project. This was reported by the police, who spoke of a “dispute over a checkpoint.”
look. Bystanders film how Kenneth Darlington shot and killed two activists.
“Two people died as a result of gunshot wounds,” police said on the “X” website, formerly known as “Twitter,” 80 kilometers west of the capital, Panama City. The suspect, a 77-year-old man, was arrested. Demonstrators have been protesting for weeks against the forty-year extension of the contract to exploit the largest copper mine in Central America by the Canadian company First Quantum Minerals (FQM). They are concerned about the impact on the environment and the legality of the contract. On Tuesday, they again closed several streets.
Videos posted on social media show Darlington opening fire on a protester at a roadblock on the highway that connects Panama to the rest of Central America. When Darlington, who has dual US and Panamanian citizenship, got off, he reportedly told other passengers that “this will stop today.” The man had previously been convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.
One of the demonstrators, Abdel Diaz, died instantly. Another protester, Ivan Rodriguez, died in hospital. They both worked as teachers.
According to local media, Darlington, who was born in the Panamanian province of Colon, was trying to drive back inside after several errands in the town of La Chorrera when a roadblock blocked his way.
Referendum
President Laurentino Cortizo tried to calm feelings by proposing a referendum. However, the court prohibited this. The government then decided that the Supreme Court would have to consider renewing the contract, which, according to the government, would generate $375 million (about 351 million euros) annually for the state. The government also warns that 8,000 direct jobs and 40,000 indirect jobs will disappear if the contract is not renewed.
The giant copper mine, located 150 miles from Panama City, generates 4 percent of Panama’s gross domestic product and 75 percent of its export earnings. In 2019, the mine produced about 300,000 tons of copper concentrate annually.
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