Joseph Budna Sues Government Over Alleged Kidnapping and Expulsion to Guatemala

Joseph Ryan Budna has filed a constitutional claim in the High Court of Justice, alleging that he was unlawfully arrested, tortured, and forcibly expelled from Belize to Guatemala by members of the Belize Police Department.  Budna, a resident of Trial Farm Village in Orange Walk, named several state officials and police officers in his lawsuit, including the Attorney General, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa, Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado, and multiple police officers attached to the Special Patrol Unit, Special Branch, and the Orange Walk Police Formation.  In his application, Budna claims that on August 22 and 23, he was beaten, handcuffed, and forced into a vehicle by police officers, before being taken across the border at Arenal and handed over to Guatemalan authorities. He alleges that this amounted to an extrajudicial kidnapping and violated his constitutional rights to liberty, security, due process, and freedom of movement, as protected under sections 3 to 19 of the Belize Constitution.  Budna also argues that the actions breached Belize’s obligations under international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR), the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and the Convention on Enforced Disappearance (CED).  The journalist, known for his outspoken reporting and Facebook Live broadcasts criticizing government and police misconduct, is seeking several remedies, including. a declaration that his rights were violated; an official inquiry into his alleged unlawful arrest and expulsion; disciplinary action against the officers involved; his return to Belize through legal and diplomatic means; and compensation in the form of general, aggravated, vindicatory, and exemplary damages.  The case was filed through attorneys Arthur Saldivar, Michelle Trapp, and Emmertice Anderson. A first hearing date is expected to be set in the coming weeks.