Tonight there are a chorus of calls being made to the government to release the surveillance videos from government offices in and around the Banquitas area of Orange Walk on the night of August 22nd at 8:30 pm.
Channel 7, Plus TV and X-TV have jointly sent a letter to the Prime Minister making such a request.
And the Association of Defence Attorneys has also sent out a strong statement, quote, "urgently calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the abduction of Belizean citizen Joseph Budna..." They say it has raised grave concerns regarding the conduct of law enforcement and the violations of fundamental human rights.
They also demand the immediate release of all surveillance video footage from that night.
The NUTCB has also issued a statement saying, quote, "with what appears to be the complicity of Belize law enforcement.Video evidence shows a disturbing scene where a Belize police officer, rather than intervening to protect a citizen being forcibly taken against their will, appears to have engaged with the alleged kidnappers and subsequently turned away without rendering assistance. The video evidence suggests that, rather than protecting a citizen from being forcibly taken, law enforcement may have actively facilitated this illegal act."end quote.
The NTUCB calls for, quote, "An immediate and thorough Senate Inquiry investigation into the role of Belize law enforcement and its leadership in this incident;
- Full accountability for any officers found to have participated in or facilitated
- this extrajudicial action and those in leadership that orchestrated or may have
- attempted to deceive the public;" among other things.
UNIBAM and the UDP also issued statements condemning the government and calling for the release of the videos.
