Freedom in the World 2004 - Belize

Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 2
Status: Free
Population: 300,000
GNI/Capita: $2,960
Life Expectancy: 67
Religious Groups: Roman Catholic (49.6 percent), Protestant (27 percent), other (23.4 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (48.7 percent), Creole (24.9 percent), Maya (10.6 percent), Garifuna (6.1 percent), other (9.7 percent)
Capital: Belmopan

Overview

Belize's ruling People's United Party (PUP) returned to power with an overwhelming victory in the March 2003 parliamentary election. A key challenge for the new government will be tackling the country's violent crime, corruption, and drug trafficking problems.

Belize achieved independence in 1981 and is a member of the Commonwealth. Formerly British Honduras, the name was changed in 1973. The government has changed hands three times, alternating between the center-right United Democratic Party (UDP) and the center-left PUP. In 1993, the UDP and the National Alliance for Belizean Rights (NABR) formed a coalition, winning 16 of the 29 seats in the House of Representatives.

The August 1998 parliamentary elections, in which the PUP won 26 of 29 seats, proved to be a referendum on Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel's largely unfulfilled pledge that his UDP would create jobs. The new prime minister, former attorney general Said Musa, promised adherence to international treaties on indigenous and women's rights. His government later blocked efforts by Indian groups to make claims of their land rights before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The year 2003 began with a cabinet restructuring that gave Prime Minister Musa direct control over the powerful National Development Ministry, which incorporates economic and governance functions. Parliamentary elections held on March 5 gave Musa's PUP 22 out of 29 seats in the House of Representatives, ratifying Musa's mandate. However, his major challenges continue to be battling the country's violent crime and corruption. The UDP has continued to focus on corruption, and the prime minister cancelled a contract to renovate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, which had been awarded to the foreign minister's brother.

In September 2002, the government proposed a constitutional amendment to end appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, located in the United Kingdom. The Belize Court of Appeals would be established as the final court of appeals for cases carrying a mandatory death sentence. There has been a moratorium on executions since 1985, but there is concern that a change in the law could lead to a resumption of capital punishment. The legislation had not been passed by the end of November 2003, and appeals to the Privy Council continue to be possible.

In recent years, Belize has experienced increases in the rates of violent crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Soldiers of the Belize Defense Force (BDF) routinely participate in joint patrols with the police in an effort to reduce violent crime. Corruption and fraud continue to haunt the Immigration and Nationality Department over nationality applications and passport processing.

Despite encouraging signs, the government of Guatemala in 2003 rejected the border adjudication decision rendered by mediators of the Organization of American States. Belize continued to reject pressure from the United States to sign an Article 98 agreement that would exempt the latter's military from prosecutions by the International Criminal Court. While military aid had been suspended by the United States, other forms of assistance continued.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Democratic government change takes place with free and fair elections. The 29-seat House of Representatives is elected for a five-year term. Members of the Senate are appointed: 5 by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister, 2 by the leader of the parliamentary opposition, and 1 by the Belize Advisory Council. There are no restrictions on the right to organize political parties, and there are Mestizo, Creole, Maya, and Garifuna parties in parliament. Transparency International listed Belize for the first time in its 2003 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking it 46 out of 133 countries surveyed.

There are judicial restrictions on freedom of the press, including prison terms for those who question the validity of financial disclosure statements submitted by public officials. Belize has 10 privately owned newspapers, three of which are subsidized by major political parties. The mostly English-language press is free to publish a variety of political viewpoints, including those critical of the government, and there are Spanish-language media. There are 11 private commercial radio stations and 2 private television stations, along with several cable systems. There is an independent board to oversee operations of the government-owned outlets. There is freedom of religion.

A large number of nongovernmental organizations are active in social, economic, and environmental areas. Labor unions are independent and well organized and have the right to strike, but the percentage of the workforce that is organized has declined. Unionized workers can earn two to three times as much as their neighbors. Disputes are adjudicated by official boards of inquiry, and businesses are penalized for failing to abide by the labor code.

The judiciary is independent and nondiscriminatory, and the rule of law is generally respected. In the past, judges and the director of public prosecutions negotiated the renewal of their employment contracts, which made them vulnerable to political influence. Judges now serve until their mandatory retirement at 65. There are lengthy backlogs of trials, in part because of the high turnover of judges, the result of their low pay. Cases often go on for years while defendants are free on bail. Reports of police misconduct are investigated by the department's internal affairs office or by an ombudsman's office. Extrajudicial killing and use of excessive force are the country's primary rights concerns.

Prisons do not meet minimum standards, though the Hattieville Prison was privatized and is run by a nonprofit foundation that has made some progress in improving the physical conditions of the inmates. Drug trafficking and gang conflict have contributed to an increase in crime. An antinarcotics agreement was signed with the United States in September 2002. Projects aimed at suppressing the cultivation, processing, and trafficking of drugs, curbing violent crime, and eliminating money laundering are funded.

The government actively discourages racial and ethnic discrimination. Although the Maya claim to be the original inhabitants of Belize, the government has only designated 77,00 acres as Mayan preserves out of the 500,000 acres claimed. Most of the indigenous population lives in the south, the poorest part of the country. The Belize Human Rights Commission is independent and effective. Human rights concerns include the conditions of migrant workers and refugees from neighboring countries and charges of labor abuses by Belizean employers. Most of the estimated 40,000 Spanish speakers who have immigrated to the largely English-speaking country since the 1980s do not have legal status. Undocumented Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran workers, especially in the service and agricultural sectors, continue to be exploited. Chinese and Indian nationals have been found to be working as bonded labor.

The majority of women working in brothels are from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. In May 2003, the U.S. State Department listed Belize as a candidate for sanctions because of its failure to control human trafficking. Violence against women and children is a serious problem.