Vybz Kartel Takes Government to Court for Violating His Constitutional Rights

Word of Vybz Kartel’s punishment of 23/7 lockdown in solitary confinement despite his declining health and struggle with Graves disease because phones were found on the block where he is located have been a hot topic for weeks.

However, the Dancehall artiste refuses to take ill treatment lying down and has reportedly struck back with talk of taking the Jamaican government to court for breaches of his constitutional rights at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.

According to the Jamaica Star, Kartel’s lawyer, Isat Buchanan, had filed court documents at the Supreme Court because of the Department of Correctional Services’ (DCS) judgement to have the deejay placed in solitary confinement.

The documents claim multiple pronouncements, including that the artiste’s “right to due process” was disregarded when he was put on lockdown without a hearing. The attorney general and the minister of national security were two of the people listed as defendants in the filing.

During a recent interview by Buchanan, he stated that his client has been in confinement for over two weeks, starting on May 23, 2023. He also mentioned that Kartel, “has picked up an infection from the lockdown and he is being treated for that now.”

Continuing, the lawyer stated that the entertainer’s condition is on a constant decline following his lockdown and “his neck is swollen more than usual…his eyes are protruding a little bit more…and it is clear that he is under stress when breathing.”

In a case that is expected to be heard next week, documents were filed to prevent Kartel from being placed in solitary confinement because of his ongoing appeal, his declining health, and the fact that it is a breach of his constitutional rights.

Buchanan is also seeking damages for those breaches, and if approved by the court the government could end up surrendering monetary compensation to the artiste.