Minister Kareem Musa: “We Cannot Tolerate Lawlessness”

The Briceño Administration has established the Emergency Powers Review Tribunal, a crucial body mandated by “Regulation 21A of the Belize Constitution (Emergency Powers) Regulations,” to oversee detentions that extend beyond one month under the state of emergency. The Tribunal will review cases of individuals detained under emergency powers that exceed one month.

The Tribunal will be led by attorney Jose M. Alpuche as the Chairman, and will include former police commissioners Gerald Westby and Jose Carmen Zetina.

In an interview with the media on Thursday, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa defended the government’s approach to policing amidst rising criticism and addressed concerns about the perceived focus on suppression over community policing. “Over the last three years, we have the least amount of complaints of oppression and suppression, in the history of that, at least in the last 10 or 20 years,’ Musa said. 

Responding to criticism about the detention of a 13-year-old under a state of emergency, Musa told reporters, “At the end of the day, we cannot tolerate lawlessness. So whether you’re 13, whether you’re 15, whether you’re 40, age doesn’t really matter. But we have to ensure that we play a pivotal role in that young man’s life moving forward so that he does not end up in prison.”

The Tribunal is expected to operate independently and in accordance with the regulations set forth by the Belize Constitution.