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Is the police minister and the Briceño administration drunk on power? That is the question tonight surrounding Police Minister Oscar Mira. The arrest of former UDP Chairman Alberto August has now exploded into a major national controversy. Police mobilized a sizeable operation Saturday afternoon at August’s Santa Elena residence, detained him for nearly twenty-eight hours, confiscated all his electronic devices, and ultimately charged him under Belize’s Cybercrime Act. Today, Peyrefitte accused the administration of weaponizing state power against a political opponent and says the operation against August was carefully coordinated from the very beginning. He says the action displayed a clear abuse of power.
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney / Former Police Minister: “My immediate reaction was, the PUP are so drunk with their power that it has gotten to the point where not only are they abusing the public with their policies, with their corruption, with their stances on different things, we have gotten to the point where we seriously cannot even criticize these people. You cannot even have an opinion if that opinion is going to hurt the feelings of some tender minister who cannot handle being criticized or being mocked or being ridiculed which is a part of being in government, which is a part of being the face of any government that the people can freely criticize or give their opinion as long as they’re not shouting fire in a crowded theater, so to speak. I mean, Alberto August was mocking Oscar Mira, I’m sorry, Minister Oscar Mira before I offend him and he comes for me. He was mocking him to say I am saying this in his voice and he says something that was kind of reflective of what they has said months ago about an incident in Belmopan. But at no point did Alberto August “Oscar Mira said this exactly in quotation marks.” So it’s a non starter to begin with. But even so, if you feel offended by that or you feel like somebody is putting words into your mouth take them to civil court. Sue him for defamation or something to that effect. You don’t send six police men, threaten the man’s family and it was not a question ‘You’re coming with us to the police station. You’re going to be locked up. You’re going to be charged.’ And so if you look at it it was executed with military precision. Alberto August has been having an effect on them and they want to silence hm and they want to tell anybody we can do what we want and you can’t say anything about it. Don’t criticize us. Don’t make a mockery of us. Don’t be sarcastic with us. Don’t be cute with us because we will lock you up. Now what kind of society do we live in when you can’t even go on social media and criticize someone in government ?”
Peyrefitte says what should frighten Belizeans most is not simply Alberto August’s situation, but what could happen to ordinary citizens who lack influence, attorneys, political connections, or public attention. He argues that August was ultimately able to attract national scrutiny and legal assistance, but many Belizeans facing similar treatment may have no one to call and nowhere to turn.
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney / Former Police Minister: “Alberto August has a level of backative. He could call people who could rush there and bring attention to this matter and let the country know what is happening but what about people who don’t have that backative ? What about people who cannot summon some kind of political support for their cause ? These people are left to the dogs. So what the PUP did over the weekend is scary because they’re saying that if I don’t like your criticism of me I will lock you up, plain and simple. So clap for everything the PUP does. Clap for everything we say. Cheer on everything that we try to put forward or you will go to jail. That’s a bad precedent that was set. The PUP marched through the streets of Belize City with a picture of me half naked and my beautiful breasts out, did I cry ? Did I sue anybody ? Did I try to arrest anybody ? That’s the name of the game. You’re a political figure, you’re subject to criticism. You are subject to be made fun of. You’re subject to ridicule. That’s what the people have. There’s an election today, there’s no election for five more years. The least the people can be afforded during that time is their opinion on the performance of the government during that five years. If the people can’t say anything, criticize their political leaders then this is a dictatorship, this is Gestappo, this is Hitler, this is something that we don’t know Belize to be and the first rule of politics is that if you are thin skinned, if you are tender, if you’re delicate, then politics is not a place for you. You do not belong in that arena if you can’t take a couple shots from the public.”
Attorney Michael Peyrefitte says the Government of Belize may now face legal action over the detention and arrest of Alberto August. The senior attorney says his legal team is examining every aspect of the operation carried out Saturday afternoon, including the execution of the search warrant, the seizure of cellular phones, the prolonged detention, and what he describes as the unnecessarily militant posture adopted by police officers at August’s residence. Peyrefitte says the state’s actions this weekend crossed a dangerous line and reflected an abuse of authority intended to intimidate critics of the administration. Peyrefitte told the media that a lawsuit is coming, with August saying he will be guided by his legal team.
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney / Former Police Minister: “I will represent Alberto if the charge remains and proceeds in criminal court but I can assure you that there will be civil charges against the government. Alberto will sue the government for this, and he should.”
Alberto August: “ I leave that into the hands of the lawyers, the legal team, and they will deal with that and I will be guided by what they advise.”
Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney / Former Police Minister: “As I said before that is my advice. I would advise him to sue the government. When you do a post like that and they send six policemen to your house with warrants to seize things, threaten your family, intimidate your family, completely unnecessary. I think you should sue them. I think that should not be left unattended, that needs to be addressed. And then you don’t put someone in police piss house overnight for a post that they make that hurts your feelings. That’s completely unacceptable.”
August is charged with using a computer system to disseminate a false statement with intent to ridicule and embarrass Minister Mira.
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