特立尼达和多巴哥政府于9月24日通过了《特别行动法案2026》，旨在应对该国的高犯罪率问题1。该法案大幅扩展了警方的搜查和扣押权力1，但遭到记者协会和人权组织的强烈反对。根据Article 19组织的分析，该法案授予执法官员权力扣押任何被认为具有"实质价值"的车辆、物品或文件，其表述存在模糊之处1。
新闻工作者对该法案缺乏明确的职业保护感到担忧。记者协会(MATT)主席Prior Beharry呼吁紧急修改第15条款，以明确保护新闻工作者的设备、笔记和保密信息源1。独立记者Pearce Robinson警告称，缺乏明确保护的搜查权力对调查性新闻构成"具体"威胁1。前总理Stuart Young批评该法案"违反宪法且非常危险"，声称其"侵犯基本和根深蒂固的宪法权利"且"在高度可疑的情况下未获得必需的宪法多数通过"1。
该国已在几乎永久的紧急状态中维持一年多1。特立尼达和多巴哥在2025年记者无国界新闻自由指数中的排名从第19位下跌至第32位1。此外，警察在2020年至2026年5月期间已获得法官批准的314份通信拦截令1，这些数据反映出对新闻自由和个人隐私的日益严峻的威胁。
The government of Trinidad and Tobago passed the Special Operations Act 2026 on September 24 to combat high crime rates, but the legislation has sparked fierce opposition from journalists and human rights advocates who contend it imperils press freedom through expanded police search and seizure authorities 1. The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) and independent journalists have called for explicit exemptions to protect reporters' equipment, notes, and confidential sources, yet the act does not formally recognize journalism as a protected profession 1.
The concerns reflect a broader deterioration in the country's press environment. Trinidad and Tobago dropped from 19th to 32nd place in Reporters Without Borders' 2025 World Press Freedom Index 1, while the nation has maintained a state of emergency for over a year 1. Police have obtained court-approved interception warrants for 314 communications between 2020 and May 2026 1. MATT chair Prior Beharry has urged emergency amendments to Section 15 of the act to explicitly safeguard journalists' devices and confidential sources 1, and independent journalist Pearce Robinson has warned that the absence of clear protections poses a "concrete" threat to investigative reporting 1.
Former Prime Minister Stuart Young denounced the act as "unconstitutional and extremely dangerous," asserting it "violates fundamental and entrenched constitutional rights" and was passed "under highly suspicious circumstances without the required constitutional majority" 1. Article 19 has highlighted the law's vague language, noting that it grants enforcement officials power to seize any vehicle, item, or document deemed to possess "substantial value" 1.
评论
还没有评论，欢迎留下第一条。