博客

Former employees of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) intensified their demonstrations on February 27, 2026, shifting their protest venue from corporate headquarters to the personal business establishment of Board Chairman Mark Lizarraga. The Belize Communication Workers for Justice (BCWJ) organized the midday gathering at Lizarraga’s Southside Meat Shop on Albert Street West, where retired workers marched with placards under the intense midday sun, significantly disrupting local traffic flow.

The escalation follows collapsed negotiations and what organizers characterize as manipulative public relations tactics from BTL management. Emily Turner, a primary organizer, accused the company of exploiting former workers’ circumstances during a recent press conference rather than addressing their legitimate financial claims. “They would never have watched these people – and some of these people you can see, they cannot, they should not be out here,” Turner stated, emphasizing the physical strain on elderly protesters.

Central to the dispute is a contentious six percent payment that BCWJ maintains is owed to former employees. The fundamental disagreement concerns the interest calculation timeline: BTL asserts obligations commenced from the Caribbean Court of Justice’s November 2025 ruling, while retirees demand back-payment from their individual departure dates from the company.

Protest organizers revealed BTL has initiated individual outreach to former employees, a strategy perceived as attempting to fragment collective bargaining efforts. Former employee Michael Augustus cautioned colleagues against isolated negotiations, stating: “Don’t swallow their pill. They want to pull you in without a group behind you.”

The movement has announced plans to expand demonstrations to other board members’ residences and businesses, with Union Senator Glenfield Dennison confirming forthcoming protests targeting individual directors. For many participants who dedicated decades to BTL, the protest transcends financial compensation, representing a fundamental struggle for dignity and recognition of their contributions to Belize’s telecommunications infrastructure. Retirees traveled from distant regions including Punta Gorda and Corozal to participate, demonstrating nationwide solidarity among former telecom workers.

In a significant legal development in Belize, convicted educator Alex Jason Noralez has petitioned the court for bail pending appeal of his recent sexual assault convictions. The 47-year-old San Pedro teacher, with over twenty years of teaching experience, appeared before the Chief Magistrate exactly one month after being found guilty on two counts of sexual assault against a student.

The proceedings took an unusual turn when the Chief Magistrate ordered the courtroom closed to media representatives, requiring court reporter Anita Nembhard to await developments outside while attorneys presented arguments privately. Noralez’s defense counsel, prominent attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, asserted his client’s constitutional right to appeal and expressed confidence in overturning the convictions, particularly highlighting Noralez’s acquittal on a third charge involving another student.

The prosecution, represented by a police prosecutor, urged judicial caution in considering bail for the convicted educator. Meanwhile, Noralez’s family appealed to the court to consider his health conditions during deliberations. The judicial decision regarding Noralez’s temporary release pending appeal is scheduled for March 24th, which will determine whether the educator remains incarcerated or is granted conditional freedom during the appeals process.

A Belize City mother is expressing grave concerns for her seventeen-year-old son’s safety following a violent pursuit that nearly turned fatal, while simultaneously accusing local police of inadequate response and procedural delays. The incident, captured on surveillance footage from the West Collet Canal area on Monday night, depicts the teenager fleeing for his life as two men and a woman emerged from a vehicle and gave chase.

The mother attributes the attack to an ongoing territorial rivalry within the community. Despite promptly filing an official police report and attempting to pursue legal recourse, she claims to have encountered nothing but bureaucratic obstacles and uncooperative authorities. She reports being given inconsistent instructions, told to return on different days due to officer unavailability, and ultimately faced with what she describes as a complete lack of investigative progress.

In an emotional account, the victim recounted jumping from his bicycle to escape, losing his phone and bicycle in the process—items which were later discarded into a drain by the assailants. The mother’s fear is palpable as she describes the morning after the incident, terrified that missed calls might have conveyed the worst news imaginable.

The Belize Police Department has provided a brief statement to news outlets confirming that an investigation into the matter is currently ongoing, though specific details regarding timeline or progress remain undisclosed.