Inter-American Commission on Human Rights raises alarm over SOE in T&T

THE use of 'prolonged SoEs' by Trinidad and Tobago and the impact of such measures on civil liberties was flagged as a concern in a 2025 report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

In its 2025 annual report, the IACHR 'observed that the continued reliance on States of emergency in Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, raised several concerns regarding the impact of these emergency measures on persons' fundamental rights and freedoms, including their rights to expression, association and personal liberty within these states'.

The report noted with concern 'the continued use of States of Emergency by several Caribbean States throughout the region as part of security policies aimed at addressing rising levels of violence and insecurity'.