21 Years Without Trial: Belizean Man Set Free After Rights Violation

A Belizean man who spent more than two decades behind bars without ever being convicted of a crime has finally been set free. Logan, now 44 years old, was accused of murder back in 2003 at the age of 23, but he was never tried. After years of incarceration at the Belize Central Prison, the High Court has ruled that his constitutional rights were violated. Logan’s case came up this morning before Justice Nigel Pilgrim in the High Court. But when it was called, there was a stunning revelation—there were no case files or evidence presented. According to court documents and submissions filed by his attorney, Logan was never deemed fit to stand trial due to a diagnosis of schizophrenia by Dr. Jose Matus, a psychiatric doctor at the Belize Central Prison. Justice Pilgrim, after reviewing the facts, found that Logan’s constitutional rights had been violated, considering he had been imprisoned for 21 years without trial or conviction. The judge ordered his immediate release. Shortly before 10 this morning, Logan walked out of the High Court and was released into the care of his mother, who had been waiting patiently for this moment. Just an hour later, at around 11, the emotional reunion unfolded on the court verandah as Logan and his mother walked home together—a journey he had waited for since his arrest 21 years ago. Logan’s story began on August 8, 2000, when he was first arraigned at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court for the murder of Kingsford Obeng. Obeng, a security guard, had been attacked while on duty at a grocery store on the night of August 5, 2000. His throat was slashed, and he succumbed to his injuries the next day in the hospital. Now, after spending over two decades in prison for a crime he was accused of but never tried for, Logan has been granted his freedom.