Trinidad and Tobago

Last February, Trinidad and Tobago was praised by many human rights groups, including the International Press Institute (IPI), for approving legislation to partially decriminalised defamation. However, today press freedom advocates in the country are concerned about a cybercrime bill, currently being discussed in Parliament this week, which in its current language imposes disturbing restrictions...

The International Press Institute (IPI) Monday condemned recent threats against Trinidad and Tobago journalist Mark Bassant that led the reporter to leave the country last week in fear for his life. On May 22, Bassant, a senior investigative reporter for the Caribbean Communications Network, Channel 6 (CCN TV6), released a video on the network stating that he had received a call from what he...

A bill to partially decriminalise defamation in Trinidad and Tobago received final parliamentary approval this week, the latest sign of growing momentum around the International Press Institute's (IPI) Campaign to Repeal Criminal Defamation in the Caribbean. The Trinidad and Tobago Senate approved the bill on Tuesday, less than a month after passage in the House of Representatives. President...

A talk show host on Trinidad and Tobago’s public broadcaster, Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG), was taken off his programme earlier this month after a challenging interview with Foreign Affairs Minister Suruj Rambachan over Prime Minister Kamla Persad–Bissessar’s handling of aid to Caribbean countries affected by Hurricane Tomas in late October. On November 7, two days after the morning television...

Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has revealed to parliament that a government offshoot called the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) has been operating for the past 15 years without the general public’s knowledge and has been illegally tapping telephones and intercepting emails, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF). Its targets have included...