Panama president directs First Quantum to shut copper mine after court ruling

Following weeks of widespread street protests and blockades that paralyzed parts of the country, Panama's Supreme Court unanimously declared First Quantum Minerals' 20-year concession contract unconstitutional. In response, President Laurentino Cortizo announced in a televised address that the government would begin the orderly and safe closure of the Cobre Panamá copper mine once the ruling was published in the official gazette. The open-pit copper operation represented a substantial portion of Panama's gross domestic product and First Quantum's revenue. Environmental activists, indigenous groups, and civic organizations celebrated the ruling as a major victory against state extractivism.