Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), a non-governmental human rights and social justice organization is urging senators to disapprove the request for a 46-day extension of the State of Emergency (SOE) which will be debated today.
In a media release on Thursday, JFJ said: “We remind that parliamentarians have a constitutional duty to uphold and safeguard the Constitution.”
“Political expediency is no justification for constitutional breaches,” it added, stating that the reasons given by the government do not fulfill the constitutional threshold for the declaration of a state of emergency.
JFJ further said that the poor and marginalized should not be sacrificed in the fight against crime, claiming that thousands were arrested and detained but never charged, lost jobs, incurred medical expenses, and were abused by the security forces during the state of public emergency.
According to the organization, the SOE is a costly misadventure that diverts much-needed funds that could have been utilized to increase the police’s investigative capabilities to solve crimes, save lives, and secure convictions.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a State of Public Emergency (SOE) last week Tuesday during a press conference amid an increase in murder.
An SOE was established for Clarendon, St Catherine, St James, Westmoreland, and Hanover and sections of Kingston and St Andrew.
Holness, as well as Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson, noted there has been a considerable spike in murders in the previous six months.
Holness this week requested for the parliamentary Opposition to support an extension of the States of Public Emergency into next year, urging the opposition to act in the best interest of the lives of Jamaicans.
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