Panama extends amnesty to end gang culture
President Varela urges members of country’s 200 gangs to turn in their weapons and cut ties to organised crime.
Published On 9 Sep 2014
Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela has extended an amnesty to more than 200 criminal gangs in the country.
Varela is urging gang members to turn in their weapons, cut ties with criminal organisations and join job training programmes.
In 2013, over 90 percent of the murders were connected to gangs, and some in the gang-infested communities say they feel that the government’s approach is misguided.
Al Jazeera’s Rachel Levin reports from Panama City.
Source: Al Jazeera