File photo of President Juan Carlos Varela.
Panama City:
Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela urged the nation Thursday to forgive jailed former dictator Manuel Noriega after he apologized to victims of his 1983-1989 regime.
Noriega said Wednesday in a statement read out on national television that he was sorry for the atrocities committed during his rule, when more than 100 of his opponents were murdered or disappeared, according to Panama's truth commission.
"I apologize to anyone who feels offended, affected, harmed or humiliated by my actions or those of my superiors in carrying out orders or those of my subordinates during the time of my civilian and military government," said Noriega, who was ousted in a US invasion.
Noriega, 81, is currently serving three 20-year prison sentences for the disappearances of two opponents in the 1980s and a bloody crackdown on soldiers who staged a failed uprising against him.
Varela called on Panamanians to accept his apology.
"He asked forgiveness and I believe as a Christian that all of us must forgive. The Panamanian people have already overcome that period of the dictatorship," he said.
Panama's Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa joined the appeal, saying Noriega's apology would help the nation "turn the page."
But some victims' families dismissed the apology as a ploy by Noriega to get out of jail.
Authorities have repeatedly rejected his requests to be placed under house arrest due to failing health.
Moreover, Noriega still has a pending case against him for the disappearance of a leftist union activist in the 1970s, when he was head of the National Guard and right-hand man to then-de facto dictator Omar Torrijos.
"Before asking forgiveness he should speak up and tell us everything that happened. I feel he has other interests, like being granted house arrest," said Maritza Maestre, who coordinates a committee for victims' families.
Former opponents of the regime also questioned Noriega's motives.
"I think we Panamanians are surprised and asking ourselves, 'Why now? What's his goal?'" said Aurelio Barria, once a leading opponent of Noriega.
After surrendering to the US military following an invasion that left some 500 people dead, Noriega was jailed for 20 years in the United States for drug trafficking.
He was then extradited to France and jailed for two years for money laundering, before being extradited back to Panama.
Noriega said Wednesday in a statement read out on national television that he was sorry for the atrocities committed during his rule, when more than 100 of his opponents were murdered or disappeared, according to Panama's truth commission.
"I apologize to anyone who feels offended, affected, harmed or humiliated by my actions or those of my superiors in carrying out orders or those of my subordinates during the time of my civilian and military government," said Noriega, who was ousted in a US invasion.
Noriega, 81, is currently serving three 20-year prison sentences for the disappearances of two opponents in the 1980s and a bloody crackdown on soldiers who staged a failed uprising against him.
Varela called on Panamanians to accept his apology.
"He asked forgiveness and I believe as a Christian that all of us must forgive. The Panamanian people have already overcome that period of the dictatorship," he said.
Panama's Archbishop Jose Domingo Ulloa joined the appeal, saying Noriega's apology would help the nation "turn the page."
But some victims' families dismissed the apology as a ploy by Noriega to get out of jail.
Authorities have repeatedly rejected his requests to be placed under house arrest due to failing health.
Moreover, Noriega still has a pending case against him for the disappearance of a leftist union activist in the 1970s, when he was head of the National Guard and right-hand man to then-de facto dictator Omar Torrijos.
"Before asking forgiveness he should speak up and tell us everything that happened. I feel he has other interests, like being granted house arrest," said Maritza Maestre, who coordinates a committee for victims' families.
Former opponents of the regime also questioned Noriega's motives.
"I think we Panamanians are surprised and asking ourselves, 'Why now? What's his goal?'" said Aurelio Barria, once a leading opponent of Noriega.
After surrendering to the US military following an invasion that left some 500 people dead, Noriega was jailed for 20 years in the United States for drug trafficking.
He was then extradited to France and jailed for two years for money laundering, before being extradited back to Panama.
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