By: Omar Silva I Editor/Publisher

🔥 NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE BELIZE – FEATURED ARTICLE

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Tuesday, 14th May 2025

Minors Detained, Rights Trampled, and a Nation Pushed into a State of Exception

In a damning blow to Belize’s democracy, the State of Emergency (SOE) currently being enforced in parts of Belize City has crossed the legal line into what can only be described as a State of Exception—an unconstitutional free-for-all where basic rights are suspended, children are criminalized, and the rule of law is trampled under the iron boot of political failure.

It is no longer just about controlling crime. It is now about controlling citizens.

Last Friday, four minors—two as young as thirteen—alongside a nineteen-year-old, were dragged before the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, accused of “assembling in a group of more than three” under the vague and poorly publicized SOE regulations. But Chief Magistrate Deborah Rogers dismissed the charges, calling it “a victimless offense” and boldly labeling the arrests as “entrapment.” The courtroom erupted in disbelief as allegations surfaced that one of the arresting officers was intoxicated, abusive, and clearly operating outside professional bounds.

These aren’t just isolated missteps. These are systemic violations of the Constitution of Belize, the Police Act, and international treaties on the protection of minors. More importantly, they expose the true face of the Briceño Administration’s approach to violent crime: punish the poor, profile the youth, and prey on the voiceless.

A Legal Breach at Every Level

According to Section 18 of the Constitution, a State of Emergency must:

• Be lawfully declared and clearly defined,
• Ensure that detainees are informed of the reasons for their detention,
• Guarantee a review process through an independent tribunal.

But none of these safeguards are being observed.

Instead, the Belize Police Department—acting with carte blanche authority—has been rounding up suspected gang affiliates and youths based on appearance, location, and mere association. There has been no public education campaign about the SOE’s legal scope, no transparency in detentions, and no visible oversight tribunal as required by law.

The result? Thirty-five individuals thrown into prison. Thirty-five more under interrogation. And an entire generation of Belizean youth being branded as criminals for standing on a street corner.

Weapons-for-Freedom Deals?

While law-abiding minors are being slammed with criminal charges, reports have surfaced that gang leaders and well-known offenders are avoiding incarceration by turning over weapons and drugs—a secretive “bargain” arrangement that police have denied, but which multiple street sources have confirmed.

When pressed, ACP Hilberto Romero was visibly evasive:

“Several persons were detained, interviews were conducted, and then they are vetted and we determine who is taken to prison—that is all I know.”

This begs the question: Who is really being protected under this SOE?

No Plan, No Strategy, No Shame

The State of Emergency has failed to reduce violent crime. Murders continue. Shootings persist. Communities remain on edge. The Minister of Police has yet to present a comprehensive crime strategy. The new Commissioner of Police, still wet behind the ears, appears more interested in rubber-stamping unconstitutional tactics than restoring order through intelligence-based policing.

This government has weaponized the law to mask its incompetence. It has turned neighborhoods into battlegrounds and our youth into scapegoats.

Shame on You!

Let’s call it what it is.

This is not law enforcement. This is state-sponsored profiling.

This is not crime prevention. This is state repression.

And most unforgivably—this is not leadership. This is cowardice masquerading as control.

If the Minister of Police and the new Commissioner have no workable plan to address violent crime without violating rights, then they should step aside.

We demand:

• The immediate suspension of the current SOE,
• A public apology to the minors wrongly detained,
• Full investigations into abuse of power by intoxicated officers,
• And a new era of real, community-rooted, transparent policing—not this sham.

Belizeans are not the enemy. Our children are not the enemy. The enemy is a failing system that punishes the powerless to shield the powerful.

And to those in high office who allow this to happen—the nation is watching.