Jamaican Man Says He Felt Threatened

Two Jamaican nationals, Devon Duran Dean, 37, and Khairo Fisher, 24, remain in police custody after they were detained at Belize’s Philip Goldson International Airport in October. Their attorney, Norman Rodriguez, filed for a judicial review of their detention. Both men faced criminal charges after being denied entry to Belize.

Dean said that after being handed over to the police, the officers informed him that they were no longer responsible for him. He claimed he felt threatened and likened the situation to being kidnapped. “In the morning I feel threatened, it felt like I was kidnapped. So I looked down and saw the officer sleeping so I said I am no going down the step because I don’t know if they are trigger happy and will see me going and shoot me.”

Instead, he jumped through a window, landing on his feet.  

Feeling hungry after not eating the previous night, Dean said he crossed the road to buy food. However, as he returned, he noticed a white vehicle from which individuals exited, pointing guns at him and ordering him not to move. Dean claimed they forced him back to the hotel, where immigration officers questioned him.

He alleged that during this interaction, one of the officers stepped on his foot, causing him significant pain. “One of the immigration officer point on me and stepped on my foot and then I say ah you broke my foot. No one wanted to assist me when I told them I feeling pain. I was crying balling, living eye water before someone took me to the hospital. 

Dean was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly attacking an immigration officer with a wooden chair and for escaping custody. He pleaded guilty to escaping and was fined $800. The aggravated assault charge was dropped after Rodriguez argued it was based on a nonexistent law. Fisher was charged with harm for injuring a security guard and was fined $300 after pleading guilty.

 

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