-Contributed-

BELIZE CITY, Mon. June 26, 2023

The laws of Belize are very strict in certain areas, and one area that journalists are particularly aware of is in the area of contempt of the court. Any suggestion that disrespects the court or its esteemed officers, judges, etc. could put a newspaper publisher and/or editor in big trouble. National hero, Philip Goldson spent a year in jail “with hard labor” in colonial times because of words which the “crown” considered to be seditious; and both Father of the Nation, the late Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price and Amandala publisher Evan X Hyde faced sedition charges for articles published which were deemed to ridicule the queen and/or her representatives in the courts. Fortunately, they were both acquitted by juries of their peers.

In a state of affairs where there have been many public criticisms of our Police Department’s investigative abilities, there is often a blanket condemnation of the effectiveness of our justice system to secure guilty verdicts for the vast majority of murders that go unpunished. It has reached the point where there is a sense of impunity displayed by some “gun men” who are conscious of the fear of the general citizenry to come forward to give evidence in court against them. No less than the Commissioner of Police is on record lamenting the fact that without witnesses coming forward, it is very difficult for the prosecution to get convictions for murder.

Just this past week, the Commissioner’s concern was proven to be very well founded. Regardless of one’s past, when a citizen of Belize has the courage to come forward as a witness for the prosecution in a murder case, it is an act of bravery and sacrifice.

Reports coming out that the young man, who went missing shortly after, had been threatened INSIDE THE COURT ROOM, is a matter that demands serious investigation. If that is the level of impunity that is now felt for the law, such that someone can, inside the very court room, issue a threat upon the life of a witness, and nothing is done about it, it says a whole lot about the conditions of our system of justice, and the general safety of citizens in this country.

One would have thought that, as serious as a murder charge is, and as much as the cards have been stacked in favor of the accused, that every daring witness, whatever their past record, would be accorded absolutely impeccable status inside the court. To be threatened, whether by any kind of insinuation or gesture, should be dealt with as of paramount importance. How in heaven’s name could this have occurred, and nothing done about it immediately?!

Reports are that the young man who went missing has now been found dead. (See page 26 of this newspaper.) And if anyone would be expected to have a clue as to who may have had a hand in his execution, the accused should have some more questions to answer.

If this incident is allowed to go like this, “like wahn lee breeze,” it is only a matter of time that high officers of the court will also be in danger. MURDERERS RULE!