Panama marks 1989 U.S. invasion with national mourning day

PANAMA CITY, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Panama on Tuesday marked the 1989 U.S. invasion of the Central American country for the first time with a Day of National Mourning.

"Today, for the first time in 33 years, the country expresses, with due protocol and solemnity, to (those who lost their lives) the respect, recognition and gratitude that the memory of their lives deserves," President of Panama Laurentino Cortizo said on social media.

The U.S. invasion was launched to arrest former Panamanian strongman Manuel Antonio Noriega, who was convicted by the United States of drug trafficking.

Cortizo posted photographs of a ceremony, held at the Jardin de Paz Cemetery and attended by other officials as well as relatives of those who died fighting the military intervention.

"Panama owed a debt to the brothers who lost their lives in the events of that Dec. 20. From now on, present and future generations of Panamanians will better understand the meaning of that day," he said.

Declaring the day one of national mourning capped a 33-year struggle to recognize the tragic event and the lives sacrificed, said Trinidad Ayola, president of the Association of Relatives of the Fallen of December 20.

According to the United Nations, around 500 civilians were killed in the invasion. However, the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights estimates a total of 2,500 to 3,000 civilians lost their lives.