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The Official Newsletter of the Caribbean Studies Association Issue: September 2016 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT CSA Executive Council, 2016­ Why Caribbean Activism Matters 2017 Beyond the regional triumphs of Caribbean President: athletes at the recently concluded summer Keithley Woolward Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, College of The activists and allies from across the region Bahamas have had much to celebrate in the last few weeks. The High Court of Belize and the Vice President: Supreme Court of The Bahamas handed Yolanda Wood University of Havana down two historic rulings on the Keithley Woolward constitutional rights of citizens to privacy in Immediate Past CSA matters of sexual intimacy (in Belize) while President: setting limits to the unconstitutional overreach of elected officials in the Carole Boyce­Davies exercise of their (perceived) unfettered Parliamentary Privilege (in The Cornell University Bahamas). Program Co­Chair: Okama Ekpe Brook In the Case of Belize, Caleb Orozco, a gay man and Executive Director Senior Policy Adviser, of the United Belize Advocacy Movement—a human rights and policy government of St. NGO—filed a constitutional challenge to Section 53 of the Criminal Maarten Code which criminalizes the sexual relations of consenting adults (particularly among LGBT Belizeans) in both the public and the private Program Co­Chair: sphere. All forms of “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” Guido Rojer, Jr. including but not limited to anal sex are criminal offenses under Section University of Curaçao 53 of the Criminal Code. Orozco and UNIBAM argued that the relevant sections of the Criminal Code violate an individual’s right to privacy and Treasurer: Dwaine Plaza equality guaranteed by the Constitution of Belize. In a ruling by the Oregon State University Honorable Chief Justice of Belize Mr. Justice Kenneth Benjamin, the Court found that Orozco had the legal standing to bring this challenge Secretary: to the existing law making it clear that Mr. Orozco did not need to Mala Jokhan establish having been a victim of the law to challenge its foundations. University of the West The Chief Justice further ruled that the relevant sections of the Indies, St. Augustine Criminal Code directly violate the right to “human dignity, privacy, Editor, Newsletter: freedom of expression and non­discrimination and equality” Meagan Sylvester guaranteed by the Constitution of Belize. In making his ruling the Chief University of the West Justices referenced section S.16 (3) of the constitution which defines Indies, St. Augustine “sex” establishing that “sexual orientation” is indeed also included in the parameters of the constitutional definition thus rendering the Student constitution fully consistent with international human rights mandates. Representative: This ruling by the High Court in Belize is seen by many activists is an Lauren Pragg York University important step towards the full recognition of the fundamental human rights and equal protections under the law of LGBT communities across the region. Executive Council In another landmark ruling in jurisprudence, Madame Justice Indira Charles of the Supreme Court of the Bahamas ruled that “Cabinet Michael Barnett ministers and or Members of Parliament in the conduct of the Samuel Furé Parliamentary Affairs and the Government and under the protection of Davis Parliamentary Privilege were not above the law.” The ruling stems from Karen Flynn the tabling in a sitting of Parliament of private emails and financial Mamyrah records of three of the directors of the environmental NGO Save The Bays. The tabling of these records by the Minister of the Education Prosper Jerome Fitzgerald was intended to demonstrate that Save The Bays Heather Russell were a national security threat working to destabilize the sitting government of the Bahamas. The claims by the Cabinet Minister stem from Save The Bays filing of a motion for Judicial Review on the Join/Renew legality of a private beach front development project by Peter Nygard, Membership a Canadian fashion mogul and major financial of the current Progressive Liberal Party administration. When questioned by the Please join CSA if you Honorable Speaker of the House of Assembly as to how the material are not a member or if came to be in his possession, the Minister’s response was that he you have not paid your found them in his “political garbage bin.” dues for 2015. You may also make a Save The Bays director’s Fred Smith QC, Zachery Bacon and Philip donation to CSA ­ all donations go directly to Darville, filed an injunction against the Government, the Speaker of the our programs. House, and Minister Fitzgerald on the grounds that they had a constitutionally protected right to the privacy of their email » JOIN TODAY correspondence and financial information; that those rights had been » UPDATE MEMBER breached by the Government via the actions of the Parliament and the INFO. Cabinet Minister; and that the Constitution (as the highest Law of the Land) should prevail, in this instance, over Parliamentary Privilege. Madame Justice Indira Charles grated the injunction on the grounds CSA that it (the Supreme Court) had “exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate on CONFERENCE and supervise breaches of the Constitution by the Executive and the ANNOUNCEMENTS Legislative” branches of governance. Parliament cannot “cannot divest CSA Nassau 2017 the Court of supervisory original jurisdiction of the Constitution” and adding further that it is for the Court and not for parliament to Culture and Knowledge determine the scope and application of Parliamentary Privilege. The Economies: The future Court ordered the Government pay damages of $150, 000 to the of Caribbean applicants in the case—the largest such award for breaches of Development ? Constitutional Rights ever made in Bahamian jurisprudence. This ruling will have far reaching consequences across the Caribbean region as Nassau, The Bahamas well as the Commonwealth where the British Westminster system of June 5th­10th 2017 The Call for Papers will parliament is still enforce. be open in September 2017. Stay tuned to the In the above two cases, Caribbean activists and citizens were on the CSA web site and front lines pushing back against violations of constitutional and human follow us on Facebook rights; the overreach of Government power; political corruption; and and Twitter for updates. the fight to protect our natural environment. The Caribbean Studies Association should be a key stakeholder in the debates surrounding the failure of Caribbean political leadership and governance, the constitutional rights of citizens and environmental protection. ). It is CALL FOR time for the CSA to leverage the intellectual capital of the organization PAPERS to be an ally and supporter of Caribbean activist work. The Caribbean Studies Association should seize the opportunities offered through CARISCC activism and civic engagement to help articulation deep, thoughtful and Artwork substantive policy initiatives to effect meaningful and substantive Competition – change. Call for Keithley P. Woolward Submissions President, CSA 2016­2017 47th Annual Conference of ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ the Urban Affairs Español Association MENSAJE DEL PRESIDENTE RAZONES PARA EL ACTIVISMO CARIBEÑO JOB Más allá de los triunfos regionales de los atletas caribeños en los ANNOUNCEMENTS recién concluidos Juegos Olímpicos de Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, activistas y aliados de la región tienen motivos para celebrar en las Assistant últimas semanas. Professor – La Corte Suprema de Belice y el Tribunal Supremo de Las Bahamas Transnational dictaron fallos históricos sobre los derechos constitucionales de los Feminism ciudadanos, relativos a la privacidad en cuestiones de intimidad sexual (en Belice) mientras establecieron restricciones a la extralimitación constitucional por parte de funcionarios electos, en el ejercicio de su Privilegio Parlamentario(percibido) (En Las Bahamas). SEMINARS & En el caso de Belice, Caleb Orozco, homosexual y Director Ejecutivo CONFERENCES del United Belize Advocacy Movement ­una ONG de política en materia de derechos humanos­entabló una impugnación Conferencias constitucional a la Sección 53 del Código Penal que penaliza las Caribeñas 19 relaciones sexuales de adultos por su propia y libre voluntad (particularmente entre beliceños LGTB) tanto en la esfera pública como privada. Cualquier forma de “relación carnal en contra natura”, que incluye pero no está limitado al sexo anal, constituyen delitos penalizados conforme la Sección 53 del Código Penal. Orozco y el UNIBAM argumentaron que las secciones pertinentes del Código Penal violan los derechos del individuo a la privacidad y la igualdad que están garantizados por la Constitución de Belice. En un dictamen del Honorable Presidente de la Corte de Belice, el señor Juez Kenneth Benjamin, la Corte estableció que a Orozco le asistía el derecho legal de impugnar la ley existente y aclaró que el señor Orozco no necesitaba probar que él había sido víctima de la ley para impugnarla. El Presidente del Tribunal, además dictaminó que las secciones pertinentes del Código Penal violan directamente el derecho a “la dignidad humana, la privacidad, la libertad de expresión y la no discriminación y la igualdad” garantizadas por la Constitución de Belice. Al dictar este fallo, los jueces del Tribunal Supremo hicieron referencia a la sección S.16 (3) de la Constitución que define el “sexo” al establecer que “la orientación sexual” está de hecho incluida

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