SOE detention court ruling likely to have far-reaching implications - Phillips
Published:Thursday | July 23, 2020 | 2:10 PM
Leader of the Opposition and President of the People's National Party (PNP), Dr Peter Phillips, is hailing as significant a ruling by the Supreme Court that the continued detention of five men under the State of Public Emergency is unconstitutional.
The decision was handed down on Wednesday by Justice Bertram Morrison in separate habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of the men, one of whom has been in custody for more than a year without being charged.
In a statement today, Phillips says the ruling highlights the importance of the principle of separation of powers as well as the party’s position that any anti-crime measure that involves an unduly prolonged infringement on the rights of Jamaicans cannot be an effective strategy.
He says the opposition raised the issue several times in the House of Representatives, as the party urged a collaborative approach.
Now, he said, this ruling is likely to have far-reaching implications for the future of the SOEs.
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