1990 Panamanian coup attempt

1990 Panamanian coup attempt
DateDecember 4–5, 1990
Location
Panama City, Panama
Result Coup attempt failed; Herrera surrendered
Belligerents
Government of Panama
United States Southern Command		 Rebel police officers loyal to Colonel Eduardo Herrera Hassán
Commanders and leaders
Guillermo Endara
Ricardo Arias Calderón		 Eduardo Herrera Hassán  (POW)
Strength
U.S. military forces stationed in the Panama Canal Zone
Loyal Panamanian police units		 ~100 rebel police and former members of the Fuerzas de Defensa
Casualties and losses
None reported 1 killed (Sgt. Filemón Montero del Rosario)

The 1990 Panamanian coup attempt (Intentona militar del 4 y 5 de diciembre de 1990) was a failed military uprising in Panama City on December 4–5, 1990, led by Colonel Eduardo Herrera Hassán, the former head of the Panamanian National Police, against the government of President Guillermo Endara. The rebellion was quickly suppressed by United States military forces stationed in the former Panama Canal Zone. One person was killed during the events.[1]

Background

On December 20, 1989, the United States invaded Panama to depose dictator Manuel Noriega. In the aftermath, Guillermo Endara, who had won the May 1989 presidential election annulled by Noriega, was sworn in as president. On February 10, 1990, the Endara government dissolved the Panama Defense Forces and replaced them with the civilian Panamanian Public Forces (Fuerza Pública), which included a newly created National Police.

Colonel Eduardo Herrera Hassán, a former officer of the extinct Fuerzas de Defensa who had previously had close ties to the United States, was appointed as the second director of the new National Police.[1][2] He was relieved of command in August 1990 and subsequently arrested under accusations of participating in a plot to destabilize the Endara administration.[1][3]

Meanwhile, growing social discontent with the Endara government's economic policies and the perceived neglect of the newly formed police force created a tense political climate less than a year after the invasion.[4]

Events

Night of December 4

On the night of December 4, 1990, Herrera Hassán escaped from his detention at the prison on Naos Island aboard a helicopter, with the help of former members of the dissolved Fuerzas de Defensa.[1] He made his way to the headquarters of the Directorate General of the National Police (Dirección General de la Policía Nacional), located near Cerro Ancón and in close proximity to the installations of the United States Southern Command. There, he gathered approximately one hundred men.[1][5]

The same day, the Coordinadora de Sindicatos de Empresas Estatales (Coordinating Body of State Enterprise Unions) had organized a peaceful march and called for a 24-hour labor strike for December 5, in response to President Endara's refusal to accept a list of labor demands.[6]

December 5

Around midday on December 5, Herrera and his followers left the police headquarters and began marching toward the Presidential Palace. They were quickly surrounded by U.S. soldiers.[1] Gunshots were heard during the confrontation. Sergeant Filemón Montero del Rosario, aged 29, was killed by a gunshot during a struggle.[1] Facing overwhelming force and having no realistic means to resist, Herrera surrendered.[1]

The labor unions, upon learning of the military action, suspended the planned general strike on the morning of December 5 so as not to be associated with Herrera's movement.[6]

Aftermath

In televised interviews following his capture, Herrera Hassán stated that his intention had not been to overthrow the Endara government, but rather to demand fairer treatment for the police and a salary increase for members of the new public force.[1][4] First Vice President and Minister of Government and Justice Ricardo Arias Calderón declared that no negotiation was possible with someone who had "attempted to violate the democratic order of the country."[1]

The participants were charged with sedition ("against the internal personality of the State") under Panamanian criminal law.[7] Most of the military personnel involved were expelled from the security forces or discharged by the end of 1990.[2]

Law 25 and mass dismissals

The Endara government linked the union march of December 4 with the military uprising and, on December 14, 1990, the Legislative Assembly approved Law 25 (Ley 25 de 14 de diciembre de 1990), which authorized the dismissal of public employees who had participated in the protests. The law was applied retroactively to December 4.[6][8] A total of 270 public employees and union leaders were fired on the basis of this law.[8]

The mass dismissals led to the landmark case Baena Ricardo y otros vs. Panamá before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In its judgment of February 2, 2001, the Court found that Panama had violated multiple articles of the American Convention on Human Rights, including the principles of legality and non-retroactivity, the right to a fair trial, judicial protection, and freedom of association. The Court ordered the reinstatement of the dismissed workers and reparations.[6][8]

Legacy

Despite the expulsions, a number of the military personnel involved in the coup attempt were eventually reincorporated into the security forces during subsequent administrations, including those of Ernesto Pérez Balladares (1994-1999) and Martín Torrijos (2004-2009).[2]

The episode highlighted the fragility of Panama's democratic institutions in the immediate post-invasion period and the continued influence of the U.S. military in Panamanian internal affairs during the transition.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "La intentona militar en contra de Guillermo Endara" (in Spanish). Panamá Vieja Escuela. December 5, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Militares expulsados en 1990 retornan a la Policía" (in Spanish). La Prensa. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  3. ^ "Arrestan a ex jefe de policía panameña" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. October 26, 1990. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Coronel, Eduardo Herrera: 'Nunca hubo intención de derrocar a Endara y a Torrijos lo mataron'" (in Spanish). La Estrella de Panamá. December 16, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  5. ^ "Presunto militar golpista Panamá: Herrera se fugó de la cárcel" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. December 5, 1990. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d "Caso Baena Ricardo y Otros, Excepciones Preliminares" (in Spanish). Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  7. ^ "Caso Baena Ricardo y otros Vs. Panamá – Sentencia de Fondo" (PDF) (in Spanish). Inter-American Court of Human Rights. February 2, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  8. ^ a b c "Caso Baena Ricardo y otros – Fundamentos" (PDF) (in Spanish). Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
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