US embassy cable - 04PANAMA2176

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PANAMA 002176 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC, WHA/CCA 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PM, CU, HO, LABOR, HUMAN RIGHTS,POLMIL 
SUBJECT: PANAMA PARDONS ANTI-CASTRO CUBANS 
 
 
REF: A. PANAMA 02152 
     B. PANAMA 0925 
     C. PANAMA 0672 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Christopher J. McMullen for Reasons 1.5 (b) & (d) 
 
 
1.  (SBU)  Late on August 25, outgoing President Mireya 
Moscoso signed an executive decree pardoning four anti-Castro 
Cuban prisoners -- Luis Posada Carriles and AmCits Gasper 
Jimenez, Guillermo Novo, and Pedro Remon (see Reftels) and 
163 others, as one of her final acts as president.  The GOP 
immediately transported the four Cubans to Tocumen Airport, 
where they departed on two chartered aircraft at 0650 August 
26.  The three AmCits arrived in Miami before noon.  The 
other prisoner, Posada Carriles, reportedly traveled to 
Honduras. 
 
 
2.  (U)  Panama recalled its ambassador in Havana on August 
23 and expelled the Cuban Ambassador on August 25.  Those 
actions followed a strongly worded August 22 Cuban 
communiqu, threatening an "automatic" rupture of diplomatic 
relations if Panama released the prisoners. 
 
 
3.  (C)  GOP sources stated that Moscoso made all decisions 
regarding the anti-Castro prisoners, only consulting a small 
circle that included Minister of Government and Justice 
Escalona and confidants including her sister First Lady Ruby 
Moscoso de Young and National Police Director Carlos Bares. 
Bares reportedly made all travel arrangements for the four 
prisoners. 
 
 
4.  (U)  The press and many commentators speculated that 
Mireya and Ruby Moscoso both received bribes from Cuban 
Americans in Miami.  Other speculation focused on Moscoso's 
alleged aim to curry favor in Miami and with USG officials, 
possibly as an insurance policy against visa revocation 
(under 212-f) for official corruption.  A lawyer linked to 
the incoming party claimed to have the name of the European 
bank where the millions of dollars in bribes would be 
deposited. 
 
 
5.  (C)  Incoming Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis Navarro told 
Ambassador August 26 that he had no prior notice of the 
pardons, which he said "interrupted the judicial process." 
He added that the Torrijos administration would try to repair 
relations with Cuba.  President-elect Torrijos stated 
publicly August 25 that he would restore any break in 
diplomatic relations with Cuba. 
 
 
6.  (SBU)  Also on August 26, Colon governor Gassan Salama 
resigned in protest of Moscoso's pardons.  Although a member 
of Moscoso's party, the governor reportedly accused Moscoso 
of  keeping common people in prison but freeing "terrorists." 
 (Comment: Other critics have called attention to Moscoso's 
ongoing "Mano Dura" operations, which involve police sweeps 
through poor neighborhoods.  Cuba also has $250 million in 
arrears in the Colon Free Zone (CFZ), which has worried some 
CFZ proprietors who fear the rupture could further complicate 
their efforts to collect their Cuban debts.  End Comment.) 
 
 
 
 
7.  (U)  On August 26, two groups of University of Panama 
students demonstrated peacefully against the pardons more 
than a mile from the Embassy.  A group of 200 students 
blocked four lanes of traffic on the Transistmica Highway and 
another group blocked traffic in the neighborhood of Curundu. 
 
 
 
 
8.  (U)  Moscoso stated publicly that she released the 
prisoners for "humanitarian" reasons, implying that the 
incoming Torrijos administration would extradite them to 
Venezuela or Cuba, where they would be executed.  Moscoso 
called the August 22 Cuban note "insulting," although she 
added that was not a reason for her decision. 
 
 
9.  (SBU)  Moscoso's pardon also included prominent 
newspaperman Roberto Eisenmann, and many other prominent 
Panamanian journalists, who had been accused under Panama's 
dictatorship-legacy libel and slander laws. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
10. (C)  Speculation abounds as to Moscoso's motives in 
pardoning the four anti-Castro Cubans.  Both Moscoso and her 
sister have strong ties in Miami, where they own real estate 
and spend a considerable amount of time.  Coming at the end 
of her term in office, the pardons cause few problems for 
Moscoso but leave a mess for the incoming Torrijos 
government, whose Democratic Revolutionary Party historically 
has had stronger ties to Cuba.  Even incoming FM-designate 
Lewis told Emboff that the language of Cuba's August 22 note 
shocked him, and Mireya has taken advantage of that insult to 
Panamanian honor to act the staunch Panamanian patriot. 
Also, by pardoning the Cubans and the journalists 
simultaneously, Moscoso somewhat softened the shock of 
pardoning convicted felons, while responding to what her 
critics have called her hypersensitivity to press criticism. 
The Colon governor's resignation and the recall of Panama's 
ambassador to Cuba will also cost them little because they 
both would have left office along with Moscoso on September 
1.  The controversy will likely be aired by the press during 
Secretary Powell's visit to the inauguration, especially 
 
SIPDIS 
because Cuba has accused the Secretary of requesting the 
release.  (See Reftel A). 
 
 
WATT