SHALIZA HASSANALI
Senior Reporter
As his voice cracked with emotion, former House Speaker Nizam Mohammed called on attorneys to unite and form a consortium to fight for the release of over 200 citizens who remain incarcerated under Preventive Detention Orders during the State of Emergency (SoE).
Mohammed made the call during a roundtable forum entitled: “Citizens’ Rights, Freedom of Expression, Assembly and Protests in the SoE,” at the Cipriani Labour College, Valsayn.
Mohammed, an attorney, spoke about the recent recommendation by the SoE tribunal to release businessman Dominic Hadeed and his wife Genevieve, who were arrested on June 24.
“The next thing is, a minister questions the veracity of the recommendation. And he was going to court. So it was himself fighting himself at that level. You have a tribunal to advise the minister. They are doing their job. You do yours.”
On Thursday, the Hadeeds walked free after the PDOs against them were revoked by Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander.
Mohammed said the Hadeeds are just two of hundreds of people who have been detained under PDOs. Last Sunday Guardian Media reported that over 400 people are being held on PDOs during the SoE.
Mohammed added the majority of people imprisoned under PDOs have come from struggling communities.
“And they do not have the means to seek redress,” an emotional Mohammed said.
“As an attorney, I am bound to defend the rights of people under the Constitution. Where are the lawyers in Trinidad and Tobago? Can’t they come together and say, no! no! no! Forget the money. We are going to defend those who can’t defend themselves.”
Mohammed also questioned where Legal Aid was in all this.
Trying hard to contain his tears, Mohammed said as an officer of the court he felt “impotent.
“We are not in a nice place. Put yourself in the situation of these people who are incarcerated.”
He said the poor conditions of T&T’s prisons have been gaining a lot of concern within recent times.
“You know why? Because three people from the upper echelon of the society…they ain’t come from Morvant Laventille and they ain’t come from the hotspots.”
Mohammed said he was yet to hear “someone say, wait a minute where are the lawyers of T&T. I am summoning my brothers and sisters in the legal fraternity, come together, we are going to form a consortium and we are going to represent these people in the same way other privileged people have been represented. And give them the publicity as others have been given.”
He said whether or not the country is under an SoE, no person should be afraid of being arrested for talking.
“We are not breaking any law. The right to talk and the gift of speech is an expression of thanks to the Lord.”
