Joseph Camp Begs GG for Pardon, Says He was Unlawfully Detained

US citizen Joseph Camp, 39, has written to Belize’s Governor General Dame Froyla Tzalam, asking for a pardon. Earlier this month, Camp spread false news during a shooting incident in Belize City. He was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court where he pleaded guilty and was fined six hundred Belize dollars. 

In the letter to the GG, Camp says, “I am writing pursuant to Section 52 et seq of the Belize Constitution 1, to respectfully request a pardon for the offense of Spreading False News.” 

According to Camp, the information he shared during his Facebook live video was provided by a Belize police detective. He says, “I acknowledge the gravity of the offense and have accepted full responsibility for my actions. However, I wish to provide further context to my case. The charge stemmed from information that was provided to me by a Belize Police Detective…”

According to Camp, “upon becoming aware that the information may not contain complete facts, I took immediate steps to rectify the situation by attempting to remove the content.” The content remains on his Facebook account. 

Camp says he has also written an official letter to the United States State Department and U.S. Embassy in Belize. In that letter, he says that he was unlawfully detained.