QCOSTARICA – A doctor and anonymous were behind the reports on Sunday that Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado and his cabinet requested asylum in Panama due to the demonstrations occurring in different parts of the country.
The message was spread by way of Facebook posts and WhatsApp audios.
The claim was completely debunked ambassador of Panama in Costa Rica, Juan José Amador, confirmed to La Nación that there is no request for asylum by Costa Rican politicians in the neighboring country.
“When you talk about political asylum, you talk about a very delicate issue, because that implies persecution and as far as I understand Costa Rica does not have any type of political persecution against anyone; it is very delicate to be talking about this form of political asylum.
“On the specific issue, there is no information of this nature that there is a request for political asylum in the Republic of Panama, neither the president nor any of the members of the government,” said Amador.
One of the audios, with the false information, assures that Alvarado is already in Panama, an assertion that Dr. Augusto Vega also disclosed – who on numerous occasions has shared false information about the COVID-19 pandemic – on his Facebook profile.
“The helicopters that have been seen in Costa Rican airspace belong to Panama and it is for the reason that these helicopters came for some officials of Carlos Alvarado’s cabinet who requested political asylum, as well as the president,requested political asylum for his entire family,” says a man anonymously in one of the audios.
“It is confirmed that President Carlos Alvarado is in Panama from where he gave his message this day (Sunday) at 7 pm. He would be requesting political refuge because the police renounce continuing battling with protesters,” Vega posted on his Facebook profile.
“The conference (television broadcast) was from Panama. Confirmed, they are in the Playa Bonita hotel in Veracruz, a cordoned off and guarded area,” says another of the publications circulating on WhatsApp.
Casa Presidencial also clarified, for its part, that the president remains in San José.
“The president has not left San José,” Casa Presidencial responded to queries.
In addition, if it were so, that the president and his cabinet let the country, he left behind the Minister of the Economy, Victoria Hernández, and the Minister of Tourism, Gustavo Segura, who both appeared on live television at 1 pm to provide their report on the opening of bars and casinos.
This information is part of La Nacion’s #NoComaCuento project, that seeks to analyze the veracity of the information circulating on social networks. You can be part of this project by sending us information that you think is false or unreliable to WhatsApp 6420-7160 or email nocomacount@nacion.com.
