CNN
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A widespread state of emergency has been declared across Jamaica to combat violent crime, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address Wednesday.
“All Jamaicans should be able to enjoy the Christmas season free from the threat of violence. You have to,” said Holness.
The State of Emergency (SOE) has been implemented in nine of Jamaica’s 14 parishes (including parts of Clarendon, St. Catherine, Westmoreland, Hanover, Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Anne and St. James) and is a popular Includes tourist destination Montego Bay.
An emergency allows authorities to arrest people and search buildings without a warrant.
“We must ensure that the murder rate and the level of violence that citizens experience on a daily basis do not reach levels that threaten the collapse of the state,” Holness added in his speech.
Jamaica, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the Caribbean (per 100,000 people), previously imposed an SOE on some parts of the island on November 15, but the Senate It closed on November 29th due to an unsuccessful vote. Extended.
The newly announced SOE received backlash not only from opposition politicians, but also from the general public.
Jamaica’s Supreme Court, SOE The Jamaican Supreme Court ruled that authorities on the island had violated the rights of a man who had been arbitrarily arrested and held without trial for months.
