P.U.P. Does About Turn on Section 53; It Now Wants Appeal

John Briceño

The People’s United Party is also calling for an appeal of the Supreme Court decision on Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code.  In the days following the landmark ruling, the P.U.P. stated that it respected the decision of the Supreme Court as the rule of law.  Today, however it has made an about turn, demanding that government appeal the judgment and have the court provide clarity on the interpretation of sex in the context of gender.

John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition

“We are urging the government to appeal the Section Fifty-three ruling for and on behalf of the people of Belize.  What is happening is that when you take a close look at the judgment and there is just one part of the judgment that most people are against and they are concerned, and that is the issue about the new interpretation of sex to mean sexual orientation.  And when you have so many citizens demanding clarity on that portion of the ruling then I think it is the responsibility of the government to appeal to get clarity whichever way it will happen, to go to the Court of Appeal and if necessary to the Caribbean Court of Justice.  I said that on Thursday on Open Your Eyes after studying this, that that is the position of the party and I want to go one step further, that on such a fundamental issue like this the party is allowing everybody to take whatever position that they believe in, what are their principles, what are their core beliefs.  And so it’s not that the party is going to take one strict or specific position but it is allowing its members to support in whichever way that they believe.  But when it comes to the actual appeal, we believe that it’s the government’s responsibility to appeal to get clarity on that section of the ruling.”