image copyrightEnea Lebrun/Reuters
The house of one of the directors of the newspaper La Prensa, one of the main newspapers in Panama, was attacked early this Saturday with an explosive object in what is the first attack of this type in the country.
An individual threw an object at the residence of journalist Rolando Rodríguez, which caused an explosion. According to the newspaper itself and the Government, the attack only caused material damage.
La Prensa described the attack as an "attack" whose objective was the home of the deputy director who, in addition, was investigating an alleged case of corruption.
The explosion also affected two vehicles, which were set on fire.
The journalist was not at the residence when the attack occurred, but his wife was, who was unharmed.
"It has been a warning," said Rodríguez, who described the events as a "terrorist attack" during a press conference.
The veteran journalist pointed out that the attacker wanted to go against "the values of democracy and freedom of expression for all."
In Panama, physical attacks against journalists are very sporadic.
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"I strongly reject the violent action suffered by La Prensa journalist Rolando Rodríguez, as I reject it before every citizen who goes through these circumstances," wrote the president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, in X.
The National Police and the Prosecutor's Office are investigating what happened, added Mulino, who stated that "Panama does not accept these types of acts under any circumstances."
The newspaper published an editorial where they rejected the "attack" and where they denounced that "violence is not seen, in any of its forms, as a mechanism suitable for resolving differences."
"This violence that seeks to terrify was the one used against our journalist Rolando Rodríguez and his family. Panama rejects these types of acts. During the dictatorship we experienced state terrorism. The repudiation that the attack against Rolando and his family has aroused shows how much the country values the coexistence that we have built in democracy," the editorial continues.
For its part, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) "strongly condemned the brutal attack" against the journalist's home: "An extremely serious attack that calls for an immediate investigation, clarification of the facts and guarantees of protection for the journalist and his family."
Corruption investigation
Panamanian authorities opened an investigation to determine the facts.
The Attorney General's Office reported in a statement that the alleged commission of the crime against collective security in the form of "arsonism" is being investigated. He added that the investigations may be expanded if other possible criminal conduct is detected.
The journalist was investigating facts that implicate, among others, the businessman Roberto Carretero, sentenced for embezzlement of public funds in 2021, and the former director of the Social Security Fund (CSS), Enrique Lau, involved in an alleged case of unjustified enrichment under his administration, according to the AP agency.
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Rodríguez is a veteran investigative journalist on corruption issues and columnist for the newspaper La Prensa, one of the most influential in the Central American country and which gained notoriety as a medium critical of the past military dictatorship of General Manuel Antonio Noriega, expelled by an invasion by the United States in December 1989.
Rodríguez was part of an international investigation this year into alleged million-dollar businesses in the marketing of Venezuelan crude oil in which the entourage of the then president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, would be involved through companies supposedly related to a Panamanian businessman in 2025.
The president of Corporación La Prensa—the publishing house—, Jorge Molina, rejected what he described as an attack on the journalist and the profession.
The newspaper La Prensa de Panamá, founded in August 1980, is known for its journalistic investigations, awarded with international awards. It is one of the main newspapers in the country and has suffered complaints from senior politicians that have affected its accounts, as well as attacks, closures and the exile of some of its journalists during the military dictatorship.
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