Twelve Years for a Killing; Why Baizar’s Family Says It’s Not Enough

Last week, we sat down with relatives of BDF officer Clive Baizar, who say they are deeply disappointed with the outcome of his case. Baizar was shot and killed in 2025 by a fellow soldier while on duty at a military outpost. The family says they expected a murder conviction. Instead, the accused was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to twelve years in prison. So how did the case unfold behind the scenes? Today, we asked CEO Francis Usher for answers. He says the BDF and the ministry turned over all available evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions, leaving the final call in their hands.

 

Francis Usher, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of National Defense

“When this unfortunate incident occurred I was still an active member in the Belize Defense Force. And so, it hit all of us extremely hard, not only because he was a serving member of the force, but also because he was a serving member of the force on duty. There was various factors but it was ultimately caused by another member of the force and that rocked all of us. But as an organization, as the BDF, as the ministry, our duty at that point was to ensure that all the relevant documents, evidence, reports, were compiled, not tampered with and was submitted for justice to take its course based on the events that occurred and those that were there, the evidence on hand. So we handed all of those over. How does it strike me? It was difficult at the time and every time I think about it, it is still is difficult.”

 

Following the incident, the BDF updated its policy on alcohol at military bases. But for Baizar’s loved ones, the result still doesn’t sit right.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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