Police Review Conflicting Court Rulings on 2020 State of Emergency

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.