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Williams Responds To Human Rights Critics
posted (September 13, 2018)

Now while the release of some of the detainees might seem like an act of mercy and compassion, there are a few people who simply can’t see it this way. As you heard last night, attorney Audrey Matura- Shepherd is against the enforcement of these emergency powers. She said that the rights of the detainees are being violated and that the conditions in which these men are being held are inhumane. Last week you also heard from the Human Rights Commission who says the government pressed the state of emergency panic button prematurely. Well, today Williams responded to all those critics. He says that under this state of emergency, the law abiding citizens are safe and that the detainees are not being treated any differently than any other prisoner.

DCP Chester Williams - Commander OPS
“I will associate myself with the statement of the Bar Association in that we must ensure that we do this the right way so as not to infringe on the rights of the ordinary law abiding citizens and we have been doing our best to ensure that that doesn’t occur so if you should be hearing any attorney out there saying “Oh the police will lock you down, whether you are involved or not’’ I want to tell the Belizean people do not be distracted by those noise in the corner that wants to be heard but to go by what we have been saying. We have told the Belizean people what we are trying to achieve and we are not going to divert from the course we aregoing.”

Reporter
“Sir what would you say to the assertion that when being held in custody the different groups were treated inhumanely particularly those being held here at the Queen Street Police Station where they were thrown into the cell block, a huge number of them and also when it was time for them to use the restroom probably the officers who were on watch were not there so they had to pass their waste in the cell right where they were. What are your comments to that?”

DCP Chester Williams
“Mr. Picart, I honestly don’t know where that is coming from. As far as I am concerned the prisoners were kept in the same manner that we have always kept prisoners. There was no different treatment and if it is that the cell block would have been filled at Queen Street we would take them to Ladyville or Hattieville because we would not take them to Raccoon because Raccoon has the Banak crowd and we don’t want to have a mixture of both groups so I don’t know where the issue of inhumane treatment is coming from and we ensured that the cell block had a complement of officers sufficient to be able to respond to the needs of the prisoners for example giving them food, water and use of thebathroom.”

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