The three democratic governments that succeeded the dictatorship promised to repeal laws that limit press freedom and other controls over the media, but very little has been done so far. The various committees named by these governments to study the situation stopped operating without reaching a consensus on specific changes. Problems such as government certification of suitability to practice journalism, the criminalization of libel, the obligation to reveal news sources, among others, prevented agreement.
After much effort and continuous pressure from organizations such as the Panama chapter of Transparency International, professional groups, human rights organizations and the media, several parties in the Legislative Assembly reached an agreement and passed Law 6 of 2002 about free access to public information. It was later approved by the president and published in the Official Gazette. Five months later, the administration issued a decree that, under the pretext of making rules for the law, essentially killed it by attaching absurd requirements. The decree has been appealed to the Supreme Court on the grounds that it is unconstitutional and administratively unenforceable because rules cannot contradict a law or overrule it.
Two months ago, the government began a campaign against the media with frequent criticism by high officials of “abuse of press freedom,” the establishment of a new commission to analyze existing laws without the participation of media representatives and a bill that would establish a system of prior censorship for radio, television and print publications. In the face of protests, the government moderated its positions, and the president has promised to veto any law that threatens press freedom.
Harassment of journalists and the media continues with lawsuits alleging crimes against the good name, that require interminable biased investigations that ignore the guarantees of due process and demand testimony and other proceedings that take an enormous about of time without any results and whose only purpose is to pester journalists.
In conclusion, Panama is a country with a great deal of legislation restricting press freedom. In addition to specific laws on the subject, almost all the legal codes have dangerous provisions scattered throughout them that even allow the closure of media outlets by a governor, mayor or councilman, in direct violation of the American Convention on Human Rights, and other international treaties and statements.

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