Panama deports man wanted for student's forced disappearance during military rule

Emilio Garzola Ruíz has been deported to Panama, where he faces charges related to the forced disappearance of student activist Rita Irene Wald Jaramillo during the country's military regime. Interpol Panama's National Central Bureau facilitated Garzola's apprehension after he was located in Managua, Nicaragua, on July 30, 2025.

Garzola arrived in Panama following a Red Notice issued by Interpol Panama on July 7 of this year. He has now been handed over to Panamanian judicial authorities to face legal proceedings. The case, which involves alleged crimes against life and personal integrity, was reopened by the Superior Tribunal for the Liquidation of Criminal Cases of the First Judicial District upon a request from the Superior Prosecutor's Office of the Metropolitan Area.

Garzola and Luis Gómez are under investigation for the disappearance of Rita Irene Wald Jaramillo, who was 17 years old at the time. Wald, a student at José Remón Cantera school, was a prominent student leader who organized protests against the military dictatorship and the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. She was last seen on March 27, 1977, in the Obarrio sector.

The family of Rita Wald had repeatedly called for the investigation to be reopened. In 2017, the Panamanian state, under former President Juan Carlos Varela, publicly apologized for her forced disappearance as part of its international human rights commitments. Garzola's apprehension occurs amid a renewed focus on investigations into forced disappearances during the military dictatorship, including that of Colombian priest Jesús Héctor Gallego.