By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The arrest of Alberto August under the Cybercrime Act has sparked one of the most significant free speech debates Belize has seen in years and former UDP Leader of the Opposition Shyne Barrow is not staying quiet about it.
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In a pointed Facebook post shared this morning Barrow called August’s detention deeply disturbing and accused Minister of Home Affairs Oscar Mira of weaponizing cyberbullying laws to persecute and silence a political opponent.
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Barrow’s argument cuts to the heart of a question that is now dividing Belize.
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Where is the line between accountability for false information and the criminalization of political dissent?
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For Barrow the answer is clear. That line has been crossed.
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“When the police Minister uses the police to arrest his political opponent for criticizing him on Facebook this strikes at the very heart of freedom of speech and the fabric of our Democracy where political opponents must be allowed to dissent and criticize the Government loudly,” he wrote.
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He acknowledged that political leaders must accept harsh criticism, sometimes even unfounded, as part of public life. But he drew a firm distinction between accepting criticism and using state power to punish it.
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Barrow revealed he had approached Mira privately before going public. That private appeal was not enough. Today he made his demand publicly and directly.
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Release Alberto August. Immediately. And reverse this course of action.
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The debate over August’s arrest is no longer just about one social media post. It is about what kind of democracy Belize wants to be. And Shyne Barrow has made clear exactly where he stands.
