By Khaila Gentle
BELMOPAN, Mon. May 23, 2022
In last week’s issue of the AMANDALA we reported on the successful passing of the motion to instruct the Belize Advisory Council to advise Her Excellency the Governor-General to exercise the Prerogative of Mercy on behalf of Nora Parham, which would result in the issuance of a pardon that would remove culpability from her for a crime she reportedly did not commit. And on Friday, May 20, the Members of the Senate unanimously supported that motion.
Parham was a 36-year-old mother of eight who was wrongly accused and charged for the death of her abusive partner, Ketchell Trapp. And she would soon after—following her conviction— become the only woman in Belizean history to be executed by the state.
Upon the granting of the Prerogative of Mercy, Nora Parham’s death sentence, which led to her being hanged on June 5, 1963, will be revoked.
Senator Elena Smith and Senator Beverly Williams were among those who rose to support the motion, both sharing that Parham was their relative.
“Nora Parham was my cousin. I very vaguely remember her. She was an abused woman. Many times, she showed up at my home, as my mother recalls very often to us, bruised and battered. This egregious miscarriage of justice has caused an indelible stain that is forever etched in the annals of our Belizean history,” said Senator Williams.
Like Nora’s children, Williams maintained that the 36-year-old mother was innocent. Senator Elena Smith expressed similar sentiments—stating that Nora Parham was not given a fair chance at her trial, nor was she listened to.
“We will not forget that the system failed Nora Parham. The persons who were supposed to be her help, the persons who were supposed to understand her situation unfortunately didn’t. And as we look around, Madame President, and we hear of all other cases of domestic violence—we recently heard the case of the mother and her daughter who were murdered—we realize that the system that failed Nora Parham back then is the same system that is failing these women now,” said Senator Smith.