Human Rights Commission Calls for JPs to be Appointed to Central Prison

The Human Rights Commission of Belize is calling for Justices of the Peace to be appointed at the Central Prison following videos being circulated of what they term “alleged atrocious inhumane acts” against prisoners.  The Commission says it could not be determined when these videos were made or if those in the video are current inmates, but says it is important for Justices to be appointed in order to speak to prisoners and have unrestricted access to look into such allegations. In their letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Human Rights Commission points out that the Prison Act does require that visiting Justices of the Peace be appointed within the first two weeks of each year and that this has yet to be done.