The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) has announced a BZ$7.75 million investment under its enhanced Conservation Investment Strategy (CIS) 2.0. Spread over three years, the funding will support 15 co-management agencies working across 28 protected areas in Belize. The initiative is part of a broader BZ$12 million strategy aimed at strengthening the management and sustainability of the Belize National Protected Areas System (BNPAS).
CIS 2.0 focuses on improving protection of priority ecosystems, building the financial and operational capacity of co-managers, and deepening community involvement in conservation. The investment also supports climate resilience by funding projects rooted in long-term sustainability and inclusive partnerships.
At the launch, Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet praised the dedication of co-managers and community groups who maintain the system with limited resources. “This is only possible through the hard work and passion of our co-managers, their teams and their community partners. From small community groups to large NGOs, from Maya lands in the south to marine reserves in the north—you are the ones maintaining trails, checking permits, leading education programs, monitoring wildlife, and often doing so with limited support.”
Prime Minister John Briceño said, “It is not something we do when everything else is handled. It is a necessity. When we protect our forests, we protect our water. When we protect our reefs, we protect our coasts and our fisheries. When we protect our biodiversity, we protect our livelihoods, our health, our food, and yes—our nation’s identity.”
Justice Nadine Nabie of the High Court has delivered a powerful decision that could change the way authorities respond to violent crime. It all started back in July 2020, when the government declared a state of emergency and detained sixteen men. Those men pushed back, arguing their detention was unjustified and unconstitutional. They didn’t just want to be released—they wanted the court to say loud and clear that the situation back then didn’t even warrant a state of emergency. They also claimed they were locked up without any solid reason, violating their basic rights. And that was just the beginning, they asked the court for a total of twenty different declarations. Fast forward five years, and Justice Nabie has ruled in their favor. Her decision? The men were unlawfully imprisoned, and the government now has to pay them over three hundred thousand dollars in compensation. This ruling is sparking big conversations about how effective states of emergency really are in fighting crime and whether the powers they give to the authorities are being used responsibly. News Five’s Paul Lopez has a full story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
It was a dramatic show of force, over 300 law enforcement officers flooding Belize City in July 2020 under a state of emergency aimed at curbing violent crime. But now, a High Court ruling says that the move was unconstitutional. And the fallout? The Government of Belize must pay more than three hundred thousand dollars to sixteen men who were unlawfully detained. At the time, then-Minister of National Security Michael Peyrefitte warned of rising murders and robberies, but the court has now painted a very different picture.
Michael Peyrefitte
Michael Peyrefitte, Former Minister of National Security (File: July 7th ,2020)
“We will not tolerate any lawlessness in this country. We are in the middle of a pandemic. We don’t need anymore headache. A stiff message has already been sent to persons of interest and more stiff messages are about to come, especially if they don’t decide to straighten up.”
Earl Baptist
One of the men now serving twenty-five years for murder is also among those being compensated by the state. Earl Baptist, once detained under the 2020 state of emergency, has been awarded fifteen thousand dollars after a High Court ruled his detention back then was unlawful. He’s not alone. Fifteen others will receive payouts ranging from twelve thousand dollars to twenty-five thousand dollars. The court found that the government overstepped, saying regular crime-fighting laws could have handled the situation in Belize City’s southside. But former Minister Michael Peyrefitte strongly disagreed.
Michael Peyrefitte
“All the investigative work and trying to solve the problem from a philosophical point of view is the best solution, but that takes too much time.”
A High Court ruling has delivered a sharp rebuke to the way authorities handled the 2020 state of emergency. Justice Nadine Nabie found that the rights of sixteen men were violated: no judicial oversight, no lawful justification, and an unnecessary two-month extension. The court says their liberty was taken without cause. And yet, just two weeks ago, another state of emergency was declared, under strikingly similar circumstances. The ruling raises serious questions about how far the government can go in the name of public safety.
Richard Rosado
Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police (File: 12th May, 2025)
“We will do everting that is possible to return normalcy, peace and stability to the streets in Belize City.”
Reporter
“Even at the cost of the rights to persons?”
Richard Rosado
“We will do everything that is necessary within the context of the law, within the context of the constitution to return normalcy to the streets of Belize City. I am not disturbed, perturbed or overwhelmed by what is happening. We will do what we need to do.”
For years, families and human rights advocates have sounded the alarm over how state of emergency powers are used in Belize City. From alleged home invasions to detentions without evidence, many say the crackdown on crime has come at the cost of civil liberties. As far back as 2018, the Human Rights Commission questioned whether these emergency measures were truly effective, or just a blunt instrument. Now, with a recent court ruling calling the 2020 SOE unconstitutional, those long-standing concerns are back in the spotlight.
Kevin Arthurs
Kevin Arthurs, Former Vice Chair, Human Rights Commission (File: 6th Sep, 2018)
“The question here is what method we use to get the result we need. If you are a doctor and doing surgery you will need the proper tools to do it. You ought not to use a hammer. The question from the human rights perspective is what tool are you using.”
Will the government fight the ruling or foot the bill? That’s the big question tonight after Justice Nabie’s landmark decision on the 2020 state of emergency. Sixteen men, once accused of being gang members, are now set to receive over three hundred thousand dollars in compensation for what the court ruled was unlawful detention. But the Government of Belize has yet to say whether it will appeal the decision or pay up. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Tonight, the Belize Police Department is taking a closer look at two conflicting High Court rulings on the 2020 state of emergency. Justice Nadine Nabie recently ruled on one case, but referenced another decision handed down just two weeks earlier, where a different judge upheld the SOE as lawful, citing a deadly spike in violence on the southside. With the entire southside once again under a state of emergency, police say they’re reviewing the legal implications of both rulings. ASP Stacy Smith confirmed that meetings are already underway, and that the department has scheduled talks with the Attorney General to chart the way forward.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“That is one of two rulings that were recently passed regarding the state of emergency. We are meeting to discuss, and we have certainly booked meeting with the attorney general in light of this new development.
We’ll continue to monitor how these legal decisions could shape the powers being exercised under the current SOE, and whether talks about extending it to six months will move ahead.
A powerful voice is weighing in on the recent court ruling surrounding the 2020 state of emergency. Prominent defense attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley says Justice Nadine Nabie’s decision is a win, not just for the sixteen claimants involved, but for every Belizean who values their constitutional rights. Bradley argues that even those accused of wrongdoing are entitled to legal protections, and that the public must not lose sight of the bigger picture: the rule of law. In a passionate statement, he urged those affected to seek legal redress, not just for compensation, but to help the country better understand the importance of civil liberties.
Dickie Bradley
Dickie Bradley, Attorney-at-Law
“I beg them publicly here, please all of you that they picked up and chance you all, go find a lawyer and get a lee money off of it, because you are going to help you country to appreciate the importance of your liberty, your right to be free, your right to be protected under the law, even though in some quarters a few of you have conducted yourselves badly, they still have rights, prisoners have rights. A horse that get chopped have rights, animals have rights. I heard from one of my colleagues that there was a complaint from one of the local television this morning that these people are bad people they suppose to lock up in jail. They should not get any money. That is a wrong view of what is happening. We all have our rights. Prisoner who are sentenced in jail for a long time still have rights. You can’t put him in no hole for thirty or sixty days. These things are going on as a matter of normalcy. It is like we have no, I don’t want to call no name and blame no minister, but what is unlawful is unlawful and what is unconstitutional we must speak up. This is how a society loses its rights. The biggest reason for losing its rights is that we don’t even know what is our right.”
Bradley’s comments come as national conversations continue around the use and limits of emergency powers in Belize.
The fallout from a recent court ruling on the 2020 state of emergency continues and now, veteran attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley is saying the implications could be far-reaching. According to Bradley, the sixteen claimants awarded compensation for unlawful detention may just be the beginning. He believes that anyone detained under a state of emergency, past or present, could be entitled to similar payouts. Bradley also dismissed the idea that a conflicting ruling from another judge should distract from what he calls a clear message: rights matter and violating them has consequences.
Dickie Bradley, Attorney-at-Law
“Both the PUP and the UDP have started out using state of emergency to fool people that we are fighting crime and we nuh the run no joke and we wah lock up them for more time, and lock up more of them. Anybody the talk about Bukele, that criminal from next door is looking at the wrong direction. Crime is caused because there are social and economic problems and lot of times they go together, social and economic problems. It is unfortunate that the monies the government will have to pay is so small. The smallest one is twelve thousand and most are eighteen and twenty, some twenty-five thousand. And the judge says a vindicatory damage each one will get seven thousand dollars more and their legal fees will get paid by the government. They could appeal all they want. They will lose. This is a signal to us that not because we find a lee possible solution to start violate people rights, when you start to violate rights it just grow and grow. Some people suggest you should start with six months. You are a journalist and you know what I know because they talk to you too. People that have nothing to do with gun lock up right now. Those people who are in prison right now, if the procedure is the same procedure that was under the UDP, which it likely is, all of them entitled to get a money, this one month one, if they were wrongly put together. And you know we need to change in the constitution, the governor general she is being called out and she has to say that as the law require that I am satisfied these people have, because it turns out to be a lie. You tell the GG all of them are criminals and she sign a thing and it is not true.”
Bradley also criticized the political use of SOEs, warning that both major parties have used them as a show of force rather than a real solution to crime. He says the real root of violence lies in deeper social and economic issues, and that violating rights only makes things worse.
Police have made a breakthrough in the murder case of sixty-one-year-old Carlos Avelar, a mason from Belize City whose shocking death earlier this month left the community in mourning. Avelar was gunned down on the night of May first while walking along Coney Drive. Witnesses say two men on a motorcycle pulled up around 8:15 p.m. and opened fire, hitting him multiple times before speeding off. The brutal attack sparked outrage and calls for justice. Now, police have arrested twenty-two-year-old Jamal Brackett in connection with the killing. Authorities say they are still searching for a second suspect. Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith shared that the investigation is ongoing, and more updates will follow as the case develops.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“As it relates to the murder of Carlos Avelar, that on occurred on first of May, 2025, police formerly arrested and charged Jamal Brackett. A twenty-two year Belizean of Mayflower Street with the crime of murder. Police are also seeking a second individual in relation to this investigation.”
Britney Gordon
“Have police been able to determine a motive for the murder?”
ASP Stacy Smith
“No motive has been ascertained so far. However, the information that has been gathered thus far has been sufficient to warrant. An arrest. It is believed that as the investigation continues to unfold, a motive will be made known. The investigation that was conducted led police to the arrest of that individual and to. The seeking of the other individual.”
A Belize City man is behind bars tonight, charged in connection with a deadly Labor Day shooting. Twenty-two-year-old Jamal Brackett, a construction worker from Mayflower Street, has been arraigned for the murder of sixty-one-year-old Carlos Enriquez Avelar. Brackett appeared in court this morning, unrepresented, and was read a single charge of murder. Due to the seriousness of the offense, no plea was taken, and bail was denied. He’s been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until August eighteenth. Police say the fatal shooting happened just after eight p.m. on May first, along Coney Drive. Avelar was reportedly walking near the corner of Coney Drive and Sunrise Avenue when two men on a motorcycle approached. One of them opened fire, hitting Avelar multiple times before fleeing the scene. He was rushed to K.H.M.H. but was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigators recovered expended shells and blood swabs from the scene, and the case is now in the hands of the courts.
A post-mortem has confirmed that thirty-year-old Selvin Sealy, who was arrested last week for trespassing, died from restraint asphyxia—a condition where a person suffocates because their body position during restraint prevents them from breathing properly. Police say Sealy was subdued after resisting arrest. While in custody, officers noticed he had become unresponsive and rushed him to the San Pedro Polyclinic, where he was pronounced dead. His death has since been ruled a homicide. The officers involved have been suspended following an order from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith says the investigation is ongoing and more details will be released soon.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“As it relates to an update for the Selvin Sealy homicide, he post-mortem was conducted on Friday whereby the results of that examination concluded that because of date was restrained asphyxia. As it relates to police’s action, the DPP has directed that statement, a statement be recorded from the pathologist and that will determine the next course of actions. Similarly, the police department has been doing their parallel investigation, which included the immediate suspension of the persons who are suspected to be a part of this incident.”
Britney Gordon
“So now that you know more details have come to light regarding the incident, can we have a clear timeline of the incident from when Sealy was arrested to his death- what occurred in between that time?”
Stacy Smith
“As the investigation continues, we will disclose more information as it becomes necessary to disclose.”
This concerning update has fueled Sealy’s grieving family’s demands for accountability and justice.
Tonight, there’s heartbreak in the education community as family, friends, and former students mourn the sudden loss of Brian Castillo. The forty-two-year-old Education Officer with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology tragically lost his life this morning in a golf cart accident on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Castillo was reportedly driving a rented golf cart when it collided with a fence. He was rushed to the polyclinic but was pronounced dead shortly after. The Ministry of Education has issued a heartfelt statement, honoring Castillo’s years of dedicated service and the lasting impact he made on students, colleagues, and communities across Belize. Described as kind, humble, and always willing to help, Castillo’s legacy is one of compassion and commitment. ASP Stacy Smith has more on the tragic incident and the investigation is now underway.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“On Monday nineteenth May, at approximately four nineteen a.m, information was received of a road traffic accident on First Street in the San Pedrito area of San Pedro, where a male person was driving a orange in colour four-seater golf cart. The police responded, and upon arrival at the scene, it was observed that a male person of dark complexion was seen lying face up on a stretcher, and police observed that vehicle cart had a small dent consistent with a collision. The male person was identified as Brian Castile and the body now awaits a post-mortem.”
Britney Gordon
“So around what time did this incident occur?”
Stacy Smith
“The information was received around four nineteenth a.m .”
Britney Gordon
“And what kind of injuries did he sustain at the his incident?”
Stacy Smith
“The extent of the injuries that was shown, at least the visible injuries as the post-mortem would be able to conclude is just minor injuries. Let me be clear. He was observed bleeding from his head and motionless.”
Britney Gordon
“There was there any alcohol involved?”
Stacy Smith
“There is nothing on the scene to indicate that, however a post-mortem will be able to identify if that is the case.”
There’s sadness tonight within the Belize Police Department and the wider community following the passing of Corporal Leroy Flowers, a respected officer with more than thirty years of service. Flowers, who once served as the personal security officer to former Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber, passed away on Saturday after suffering a stroke a few weeks ago. In a heartfelt tribute, Faber described Flowers as a man who “served with distinction, integrity, and quiet strength.” He added that Flowers was not only a dedicated officer but also a kind and dependable person whose calm presence brought comfort to those around him. Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith also extended the department’s condolences, honoring Flowers’ long-standing commitment to public service.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“The department wishes to extend its sincere condolences on the passing of a very consummate police officer in the person of Carle 439 Mr. Leroy Flowers, who has been with the department for over thirty years. Mr. Flowers have worked in specialized unit in the department, and even on his day off, he would volunteer his service to the fire department. So the department and the country, by extension, has certainly suffered a loss in the passing of Mr. Flowers, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family. And to all those persons who love and would’ve interacted with him.”
