In the wake of today’s court ruling on the challenge against the State of Emergency by a citizen who claimed that his constitutional rights were breached, a call is being made for the SOE that was imposed in St Catherine today (June 17), to be withdrawn.

Roshaine Clarke was awarded over 17 million dollars in damages by the Constitutional Court after it ruled that his detention, without charge, for seven months in 2018, was a violation of his rights.

Prominent Attorney-at-law, Bert Samuels, who had represented Clarke in the early stages of the case, has welcomed the ruling; Clarke’s representation in the latter stages was handed over to a colleague attorney.

Mr Samuels described today’s court ruling as a victory for liberty.

This morning’s court ruling came hours after a State of Emergency was declared for St Catherine, in response to an upsurge in crime and violence in recent weeks.

The measures will allow the security forces to, among other things, detain citizens and conduct operations.

Mr Samuels said the Government needs to accept the ruling of the court that the current regulations, under the SOE, are unconstitutional, and should not be used as a regular crime-fighting tool.