In the wake of a high-profile collapsed cybercrime prosecution that ignited nationwide public outcry over free speech protections, the government of Belize has launched a targeted review of its 2020 Cybercrime Act, Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre has confirmed.
The case that prompted this policy review centered on Belizean national Alberto August, who faced cybercrime charges stemming from a Facebook post that drew a formal complaint from Oscar Mira, Belize’s former Minister of Police. The prosecution ultimately collapsed, and the outcome pushed public debate about the overreach of cybercrime legislation, the boundaries of online political criticism, and the protection of free expression to the top of the national policy agenda.
Sylvestre explained in an official statement that the review will not scrap the entire act, but will focus on specific provisions that have faced public scrutiny for their potential to criminalize defamation, a power the current government says it has no intention of enshrining in law. “Cyberbullying is a real, harmful issue that impacts communities across the country, and it remains critical for the state to regulate harmful online conduct,” Sylvestre noted. “What we are aiming to do is clarify the language of the law to ensure provisions cannot be misused to target legitimate critical speech as criminal defamation.”
The Attorney General added that the government aims to bring forward proposed amendments to the law for a vote during the next sitting of Belize’s House of Representatives. He also clarified that the Ministry of the Attorney General played no role in advising authorities on the initial cybercrime charges brought against August, noting that independent criminal prosecutions fall outside of the ministry’s official mandate.
The review comes after months of sustained public pressure following the collapse of the August case, with free speech advocates arguing that vague language in the current Cybercrime Act has created a tool that can be weaponized to silence political opponents online. While policymakers across the political spectrum agree that updated regulation of harmful cyber activity is necessary to protect public safety, there is broad consensus that the law must be refined to balance security needs with constitutional protections for free expression.