The International Democracy Union (IDU) has expressed deep concern over recent events in the Commonwealth of Dominica, warning that the country’s democratic principles, transparency, and rule of law are under serious threat following the March 19, 2025, protests.
Several individuals, including Ronald Charles, a prominent attorney and member of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) were arrested. Charles was arrested on April 9, weeks after leading efforts to legally represent peaceful protesters detained during the demonstrations. He has since been granted bail, but his arrest has raised alarms both locally and abroad.
In a strongly worded statement, the IDU said, “The protection of fundamental freedoms and rights is paramount to the health of any democracy.” The group stressed that freedom of speech, expression, and peaceful assembly must be upheld, even in politically tense environments.
The March 19 protests stemmed from growing public frustration over economic hardship, rising unemployment, and demands for greater transparency and accountability in the use of public funds. Citizens also called for social justice and meaningful reforms, particularly in light of Dominica’s long-standing electoral reform process.
The IDU called for greater transparency and judicial independence, stating that the arrest of legal professionals like Charles may signal an overreach by police and a troubling politicization of justice. “It is essential that the judiciary operates independently, free from any political influence, to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of all citizens,” the statement read.
Kenner Gomez, the man once charged with the double murder of Lawrence and Medardo Canelo, is now a free man after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) entered a nolle prosequi in the case.
Gomez had been accused of opening fire at Flash Bar and Cool Spot in Punta Gorda in August 2021, fatally wounding the uncle and nephew duo as they were reportedly tallying the day’s sales. Aura Pacham, who was also present, sustained injuries during the attack.
Police had arrested and charged the then 27-year-old Gomez with two counts of murder and grievous harm, believing the shooting stemmed from a personal rivalry.
However, during a recent court appearance, the prosecution informed the court that it would no longer be proceeding with the case, effectively withdrawing all charges against Gomez.
The nolle prosequi, a legal declaration that halts prosecution, means Gomez cannot be tried again. Gomez was represented by attorney Leslie Hamilton.
Back in 2014, Gomez was identified as the suspect in the murder of 26-year-old Janice Vargas.
The Ministry of Health & Wellness is urging the public to stay alert following the confirmation of locally transmitted malaria cases in Belize—the first such cases in over six years.
The ministry announced today that four cases of malaria have been confirmed, three of which are due to local transmission. The cases were detected in Santa Elena Town and Cristo Rey Village in the Cayo District.
The initial case was identified on January 17, followed by additional detections on March 11 and April 5. One of the four confirmed cases has been classified as imported from Petén, Guatemala, while the remaining three are the result of local transmission.
Malaria is a febrile illness caused by parasites and transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Infected persons usually experience recurring episodes of fever, accompanied by chills and sweating, every 48 to 72 hours.
According to the ministry, the cases were identified through routine surveillance conducted at both public and private healthcare facilities. In response, the Vector Control Program, in collaboration with regional health surveillance officers, has swiftly launched multiple intervention measures, including:
House-to-house fever screening
Mosquito fogging and larviciding
Community education campaigns on symptoms and prevention
All individuals diagnosed with malaria have since received supervised medical treatment and have tested negative on follow-up.
To prevent further transmission, enhanced surveillance has been activated in high-risk zones, particularly in the Santa Elena neighbourhoods of Santa Cruz and Hillview, as well as in Cristo Rey Village. Health teams are actively testing anyone who currently has—or recently had—a fever within the past 30 days.
The ministry is encouraging residents experiencing fever and chills, particularly those who have travelled to neighbouring countries, to visit the nearest health facility for free malaria testing.
In a public advisory, the ministry reminded citizens about the importance of preventing mosquito bites, especially when travelling to malaria-endemic areas. People are encouraged to:
Use insect repellent.
Sleep under bed nets.
Clean yards and eliminate standing water around homes.
Chairman of the San Jose Nuevo Palmar Village Council, Orlando A. Ayuso, has written to the Chairman of the Palmar Lands Advisory Committee, Wincy Perez, strongly opposing a decision reportedly made to subdivide the Sibbal Yuum Nature Park.
In a formal letter dated April 2025, Ayuso expressed concern following what he described as a meeting organised by the Palmar Lands Committee during which “the decision to subdivide Siibal Yum Nature Park was taken.”
He reminded the committee that “on October 27, 2024, this aforementioned area was declared a park and public area via an official inauguration ceremony.” He added, “Present were the then-elected Palmar Lands Advisory Committee and the present-day Village Council.”
Ayuso referenced Chapter 88 of the Laws of Belize, the Village Council Act, which he said “makes provision for Village Councils to declare areas for parks and recreation.” He noted that the parcel of land in question, “measuring 1,244.39 square yards, has been declared a nature park, which is a green area.”
He warned that “areas such as these are protected by environment and climate change ministries and activists” and pointed out that “the amendments to the National Land Use Policy make provision for securing green parcels when subdivisions are being made within a community.”
Ayuso appealed to the committee to reverse course: “Via this medium I am petitioning that you and your committee reconsider the decision to subdivide this already established nature park.”
He said that “members of the community are already enjoying this area” and that “this community-based development is continuous with many future environmentally friendly plans”. According to the letter, “well over $20,000 Belize has been invested. This was once a grassy area which was being used as a dump.”
“In the past this was an eyesore and a hazard for those living in that area of the village. Today it is the pride and joy of our community,” he said. “It is a recreational area visited not only by our villagers but also by adults and children of the surrounding town area and villages. Just yesterday we had a day of fun in a safe and clean environment.”
He closed the letter with a strong warning: “We respectfully and politely ask that you refrain and desist from launching an attack on Sibbal Yuum Nature Park. We will be taking legal action at the court, as damage to public property is a serious offence, especially this being a declared green area.”
Belize has confirmed cases of measles for the first time in thirty-four years. The Ministry of Health and Wellness announced in a virtual press conference that the first suspected cases appeared after Belizeans visited Mexico in March. Two people returned with symptoms like fever and skin rashes, and tests confirmed they had measles. This breaks Belize’s record of being measles-free since 1991. The patients are from the Corozal and Cayo districts and were part of a group that recently came back from Mexico. The rest of the group is now in isolation, being monitored for any signs of fever or rash. The ministry is urging the public to get vaccinated against measles, which takes about twenty-one days to recover from. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali, Reporting
After more than thirty years without measles, Belize confirmed two cases of the virus on Saturday. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public Health and Wellness, said the group, from four different communities in Belize, traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico in January and returned on March thirtieth. The rest of the group is in isolation and showing no symptoms so far, with most of them being vaccinated. The patients are teenagers.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness
“The details of the two positive cases are as follows: a 17-year-old male unvaccinated who started with fever, rash, and cough on April third. Laboratory confirmation of measles was received on April twelfth. The second case is a 17-year-old female unvaccinated who started with symptoms on April second. Laboratory confirmation of measles was received on April twelfth. All fifteen travelers have been interviewed by the staff of the Ministry of Health and Wellness and are being monitored regularly for signs and symptoms.”
Musa explained that they acted as soon as they got reports of patients with symptoms, while waiting for test results to confirm measles. These cases come amid a surge in measles across the Americas, with over five hundred confirmed cases in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Argentina. Although many people in Belize are vaccinated, the rate is still below the ninety-five percent target, especially in the Cayo and Belize Districts. The Ministry of Health is urging Belizeans to get vaccinated.
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa
“The Ministry of Health and Wellness urges the public to ensure vaccinations are up to date, particularly for children. Parents, check your children’s vaccine cards to determine if their vaccines are up to date. Adults who have not received an MMR vaccine or who are uncertain of their vaccination status should visit a health facility to receive the vaccine.”
Natalia Beer
Dr. Natalia Beer, Technical Advisor, Maternal and Child Health, Ministry of Health
“Any unvaccinated person traveling abroad who come in contact with persons that may be infected with measles, more than likely will be infected with measles. We have so many flights in and out of Belize and if we look at the data in the U.S., a lot of destinations from Belize, they’re having outbreaks.”
Dr. Natalia Beer, the ministry’s Technical Advisor for Maternal and Child Health, urged everyone, especially those in certain age groups or with existing health conditions, to get vaccinated, particularly if they plan to travel outside Belize in the next month. What makes this illness highly contagious is that patients can spread it even before they show any symptoms.
Dr. Natalia Beer
“The person is contagious even before having signs and symptoms, so it makes it more difficult for one to say, I will stay away from persons that are ill with fever and rash. But the contagious period starts even before that. The high-risk group that we need to target now is unvaccinated children and teenagers, unvaccinated adults from 20 to 59 years, adults greater than 60 years, unvaccinated healthcare workers, immune-compromised persons, pregnant women, and populations living in communities with low vaccination coverage.”
Measles usually starts with symptoms like fever, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash that begins at the hairline and spreads down the chest, back, limbs, and the rest of the body. The illness typically lasts for about twenty-one days from the onset of symptoms. The ministry has started holding monthly mobile clinics in remote communities to give out vaccinations, but they’ve noticed that people are hesitant to get vaccinated. This hesitancy has increased since the COVID outbreak. Marion Ali for News Five.
The medical team stressed that people with chronic illnesses should get vaccinated for measles. Those with weakened immune systems are at risk of severe cases if they catch the virus. While many people recover completely, Doctor Russell Manzanero, an epidemiologist with the Ministry of Health, explained that those in vulnerable health categories can suffer lasting effects or even die.
Russell Manzanero
Dr. Russell Manzanero, Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health & Wellness
“The very young, those who are older, pregnant women, those who have a weakened immune response, such as those perhaps living with cancer or one of the chronic illnesses that are perhaps not managed properly. Those are individuals who have weakened immune system, so those are the persons of concern of where the severity might be even greater. It varies from perhaps, we may have a lung infection, it develops to pneumonias, you can have inflammation and swelling of the brain, but these are instances where hospitalization rates perhaps are not that great. These are the severe cases. In that instance, if you do have a neurological complication that you do get a swelling to the brain, you might have side effects of hearing loss or vision loss, blindness. Yes, there are some cases of death.”
Health officials have increased surveillance at Belize’s entry points, like the international airport, cruise ports, and border crossings, to control the measles outbreak before it gets worse. So, even if you’re just leaving for a day or two, especially this Easter, be ready to answer a few questions when you return. Doctor Musa explained the process for people entering the country.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director, Public Health & Wellness
“The process in Belize and in the Ministry of Health and Wellness is that we do have public health inspectors trained in surveillance at our borders and at the cruise ships. So, the public health inspectors have numerous roles when they’re at these border points. And one of the roles is in surveillance. And we have now, in fact – the regions are meeting today, and some met yesterday to enhance the surveillance. So, the enhancement basically means that we’re actively looking for cases, reaching out to people who have been sick because of course, a part of the public health inspectors’ duty at the border points, especially for the airport, is to look at the report that the captain says, “just prior to landing” identifying whether somebody is ill on flight, et cetera. And then we take action depending on that. But as Dr. Beer mentioned, we would also have posters. The public health inspectors do ask about fever. We try to identify early if there are any sick families in the group and we then give advice and isolate as needed. So, this will be enhanced. We will more than likely, depending on the regions – because not all regions, the response will be the same. The borders, of course, are a little bit – the land borders might be different than the cruise ships and the airports. So, we will adjust for each border and we will enhance the surveillance at those places.”
A brand-new Transport Board officially got to work today—and big improvements may be on the way for Belize’s troubled public transportation system.
The newly appointed board held its first meeting this morning in Belmopan. During the session, Minister of Transportation Louis Zabaneh shared his vision for a more efficient, inclusive, and environmentally friendly system that better serves commuters across the country.
Minister Zabaneh said the goal is to create a transportation network that works for all Belizeans—whether they’re students, workers, business owners, or tourists. He’s banking on this new team, made up of professionals from both the public and private sectors, to help drive real change.
A 26-year-old Ready Call customer service agent has been charged in connection with the stabbing of a woman at Digi Park over the weekend.
Erynne Bellezaire was arraigned this morning in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, where she pleaded not guilty to charges of dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm for allegedly stabbing Chelsea Lewis during a fight over the weekend.
Bellezaire was granted bail of $1,500 with conditions that she stay at least 100 yards away from Lewis and have no contact with her or any prosecution witnesses. Her next court date is June 16.
Police say the stabbing happened around 3:40 a.m. after a dispute between two groups of women who had earlier been at a nightclub. Lewis suffered multiple stab wounds to the face and body and remains in stable condition at the KHMH. Investigators have not established the reason behind the dispute.
Deputy Technical Director of Animal Health, Dr Jonathon Pech, examined the animal on Sunday and said, “The samples that were taken from the horse, the worms, they were negative for screwworm. I examined him again today, and the wounds are healing well. The horse is looking much better now.”
Dr Pech says with continued treatment, Oney should fully recover within two to three weeks. “I strongly believe that the horse will be able to go back to being clinically healthy in approximately two to three weeks,” he noted.
The update comes after a disturbing video showing three teens hacking the tied-up horse with a machete went viral, sparking outrage across the country. The incident occurred near the Faber’s Road Extension.
Five individuals — including two adults and three minors — were arrested and charged with cattle theft, cruelty to animals, and abetment to commit cruelty to animals.
Oney’s sixteen-year-old owner, Devonte Broaster, said the horse was stolen and that the attackers tried to extort him for its return.
