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LAUREL V WILLIAMS
HEAD of the First Wave Movement Umar Abdullah has called for an immediate end to the current state of emergency (SoE), the closure of all military detention sites, and the return of all inmates to “legal civilian institutions.”
Abdullah made the call at a media conference to “reclaim the truth” about murder accused Rajaee Ali, giving an insight into what he called the injustice, political gamesmanship and systemic failures threatening democracy in TT.
He also called for full transparency into the alleged plot to assassinate two defence attorneys, including names, evidence, and the “origins of the so-called intelligence” that the police have.
“We want an independent commission of enquiry into the actions of the police service, the DPP, and the Ministry of National Security, and reinstatement of constitutional protections and respect for the rights of all citizens, including the presumption of innocence.
“This is not just about Rajaee Ali. This is about the soul of our democracy. If they can do this to him with no evidence, no trial, no defence, they can do it to any one of us,” Abdullah said.
Abdullah called on the nation to stand up, saying the greatest threat was when the state used fear to maintain power.
He charged that there was no justification for the SoE, adding that Ali was deemed a suspect in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate defence attorneys CJ Williams and Keron Ramkhalwhan.
The media conference was held at Ramkhalwhan’s law office at Gordon Street, San Fernando. Ramkhalwhan, who was absent, is also one of Ali’s attorneys.
Police investigators alleged the assassination plot was orchestrated by people now detained at Teteron Barracks in Chaguaramas.
Abdullah described the allegation as a lie, fabrication, and “a textbook false flag operation designed to vilify Rajaee Ali and others.”
He charged that the police had information as to the origins of a voice note that triggered the SoE. He added that instead of the police arresting the culprit, they went after a man who had already been incarcerated for ten years.
“We are witnessing a theoretical production, Hollywood, Bollywood designed to frighten the public, distract from rampant crime and allow the state to arbitrarily detain people without due process,” Abdullah said.
On July 18, the day of the start of the SoE, Ali and other inmates were transferred from the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) in Arouca for security reasons.
He said Ali had repeatedly declared his innocence and is willing to take a lie detector test.
“Why hasn’t anybody given that option?”
Abdullah also criticised what he called the imported American security models “in the Caribbean context.”
“What a dangerous mistake. Why did this administration adopt this American model of dividing the Ministry of National Security? It is not suitable for a small, integrated society. Do your research!” Abdullah said.
“America’s homeland security architecture was built after 9/11 to militarise civilian affairs, invade privacy and centralise intelligence, and we see that happening here in TT.”
He said the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government “is trying hard” for the PNM to return to power.
Ali’s father: Character assassination does not solve crime
Ali’s father, Imam Hassan Ali, and blogger Vishal Persad also spoke at the conference.
Ali’s father accused the authorities of engaging in methods of criminalisation and character assassination of people with no voice because they were in remand.
“They scandalised and sensationalised. Is that a crime-solving method? That is my concern,” he said.
He added that on social media, they used AI intelligence and criminalised people’s character.
He said Muslims believe in Allah, the Almighty, and are ordered to believe, be upright and behave well towards people.
“They do not seem to trust us to carry that out. But we have contributions to make, too, to the stability of this society.”
He charged that no Muslim, believing and in his right mind, would want to assassinate judges and people who were supposed to be doing their jobs.
“No Muslim in his right mind wants to destabilise the society. But then there are people who want to make reference to issues in the past without looking at cause. They do not want to refer to the cause at all,” the imam said.
“They just want to look at issues now that are taking place in our whole society, a disoriented society with a disoriented people who do not feel part of this society, and we have to help bring reform. When they come to us, we have to stimulate reform.”
He warned that people should be very careful with what they say about others, adding that social media comments did not reflect who Ali was.
The imam added, “We have to be concerned about what is said about people, anybody, Muslims or non-Muslims. Character assassination, the libellous slander, that is not necessary.”
The imam said he used to visit his son in prison, but with the “supposedly high-risk status” given him, he “cannot bear to go again.”
He said from the inception of his son’s detention in Chaguaramas, he was not eating anything, and rightly so, because masked men were feeding him and he had threats to his life.
He described his son as a dedicated Islamic worker and emphasised his belief in Allah.
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