KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) is calling for “an immediate reversal “ of the decision of a high court judge to bar the media and members of the public from the proceedings in the high profile murder case involving a former opposition legislator.
Justice Vinette Graham-Allen on Thursday told reporters and family members that no permission would be granted to cover the trial of, who has been charged with the murder of his wife, Melissa. Silvera is due to return to court on February 8.
According to police reports, on November 10 last year, Mrs Silvera reportedly died in her sleep, but a postmortem later revealed the presence of bullet fragments in her body.
In a statement, the PAJ says it calls for an immediate reversal of the decision of the High Court judge unless there is a compelling explanation and justification.
“If that is the case, the public must be informed what this is,” the PAJ said, noting that the principle of open justice is fundamental in Jamaica, where any public member should be free to observe court proceedings, except in exceptional circumstances.
It noted the high-profile nature of the murder case involving a former member of parliament, saying the proceedings must be open to public scrutiny to help maintain confidence in the justice system in general and in the conduct of the case in particular.
“No reason has been given why this case should be an exception to the open justice principle.
“We see none and believe that, in fact, this case is a prime example of one which the media and the public must carefully scrutinize. We, therefore, call for an immediate reversal of this decision”.
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