Caye Caulker Man Sues Over Illegal Detention

A Caye Caulker resident is taking the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General to court, claiming he was wrongfully detained for nearly four months under a State of Emergency that didn’t even apply to him. Twenty‑nine‑year‑old Evan Hynes says police picked him up on June twenty-fifth, 2024, accusing him of producing a video that promoted gang activity, an allegation tied to an incident that happened almost two weeks before the State of Emergency was declared. Hynes was charged, denied bail, and sent to the Belize Central Prison, where he remained for ninety-one days, despite living in Caye Caulker, a location not listed under the emergency zones. His mother eventually sought legal help, and by September, an Emergency Powers Review Tribunal recommended that his detention order be revoked. Still, Hynes wasn’t released until October twenty-third, when he finally secured bail. His criminal case was later dismissed on January twenty-third of this year. Now, Hynes is suing for damages, saying the wrongful detention caused emotional distress and left him without income for months. You may remember that back in 2025, the Government of Belize was ordered to pay more than three hundred thousand dollars to sixteen men who were wrongfully detained during the July 2020 state of emergency. The court agreed with them, they were locked up without cause, and their basic rights were violated. In the wake of that ruling, government moved quickly to push the Thirteenth Amendment Bill, legislation designed to change the Constitution so authorities could legally declare high‑crime zones and, importantly, retroactively validate past states of emergency. But despite the push, the bill never made it through.

 

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