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On May 27, 2026, Trinidad and Tobago’s Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro signed a new Emergency Powers Order that has reshaped the parameters of public protest across the twin-island nation. The order creates 500-meter no-protest buffer zones surrounding 15 critical state and security institutions, a policy that has ignited fierce debate over civil liberties and state security amid an ongoing national state of emergency.

The protected sites listed under the new regulations include key government hubs such as the Parliament building, Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Finance; core security infrastructure including all police stations, national prisons, army bases, the TTPS Police Headquarters, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP); and key transportation assets including Piarco International Airport, ANR Robinson International Airport, and the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. This marked a notable shift from earlier state of emergency (SoE) rules, which focused broadly on curfews, expanded police detention powers, and general public order, without the targeted, detailed list of restricted locations for protest activity that the new order establishes.

Guevarro’s order was signed on the same day that supporters of Kaia Sealy held an unauthorised demonstration outside the DPP’s office in Port of Spain. The protest was part of the group’s ongoing “19 Bullets, 19 Protests” campaign, launched after a January 20 police-involved shooting in St Augustine. The incident, which unfolded following a police chase, left Sealy’s common-law husband Joshua Samaroo dead and Sealy wounded. Authorities dispersed the Wednesday demonstration, and three people including protest organiser Allysa Phillip were taken into custody. Prior to the protest, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) had publicly stated that no official permission had been granted for the gathering, warning that any unauthorised assembly during the SoE would be treated as a violation of emergency regulations.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar publicly criticised the demonstrators on the day the order was signed, accusing participants of intentionally provoking police and seeking undue media attention. The current SoE first entered into force on March 3, 2026, and was extended for an additional three months by Parliament 10 days later. It is currently scheduled to expire in June 2026, though the Prime Minister has already indicated she supports a further three-month extension if the National Security Council recommends the move. The SoE was originally declared to address widespread gang violence across the nation.

The new no-protest zone policy has drawn divided reactions from legal and political figures. Attorney and temporary People’s National Movement Senator Larry Lalla, SC, condemned the order as an overreach of executive power. In a social media statement, Lalla argued that the blanket ban on all protest activity within the buffer zones—including protests outside Parliament—was not a proportional use of the Police Commissioner’s emergency powers, given the SoE’s stated narrow goal of curbing gang violence. He stressed that the policy violates core constitutional rights guaranteed to Trinidad and Tobago citizens, including freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and the right to share political dissent, noting that even small, single-person peaceful protests are prohibited under the new order.

However, Israel Khan, SC, president of the Criminal Bar Association, defended the policy as a reasonable and justified measure during the temporary state of emergency. Speaking to local outlet *Express*, Khan called the Commissioner’s decision “sagacious,” arguing that the restrictions are necessary to maintain public order at critical state sites and prevent disruptive action that could sow confusion across government operations. Khan clarified that he fully supports the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press, but added that no small group has the right to disrupt the day-to-day peaceful function of the country for their own publicity. He added that any parties who believe the order oversteps state authority have access to judicial review, noting that democratic processes remain in place to resolve the dispute. Khan also noted that while Sealy faces pending criminal charges, that does not equal a finding of guilt — a determination that will be made exclusively by the courts, as is required under the rule of law.

Trinidad and Tobago’s political landscape has erupted in fresh tension this week, as opposition leaders ramp up scathing criticism of the ruling government over the ongoing state of emergency (SoE), heavy-handed police action against protesters, and claims the administration is steering the nation toward authoritarian rule.

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles made the most high-profile condemnation in an official statement released Thursday, calling directly on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to immediately lift the emergency order that has granted expanded powers to state security forces. Beckles’ criticism was triggered by this week’s arrest of two people — social media commentator Jason De Silva and Alyssa Phillip — who participated in a Wednesday demonstration outside the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Port of Spain.

That protest was organized by loved ones of Kaia Sealy, a woman who faces charges connected to the January police-involved shooting death of her common-law husband Joshua Samaroo in St Augustine. Protesters gathered to demand transparency and answers about the circumstances of the case, a demonstration that ended with the two arrests.

Beckles warned that the island nation is now drifting dangerously close to becoming a policing state, a shift that runs counter to its foundational democratic values. “Freedom trembles in these times. Trinidad and Tobago should never, ever find itself on the brink of becoming a policing state,” she said. The arrests, she argued, have alarmed right-minded citizens across the country, with a police response that appears wildly disproportionate to the actions of peaceful demonstrators. She also took aim at the prime minister, condemning what she called “callous gun talk” from a leader she labeled as absent on key governance issues.

Beyond calling for an end to the SoE, Beckles urged Persad-Bissessar to restore full democratic protections as outlined in the country’s Constitution. She further accused the government of applying a double standard to protests across the country, noting that a separate demonstration held the same day in Siparia by members of the ruling United National Congress (UNC) drew no pushback from police or political leadership. That protest was organized by UNC members of the Siparia Borough Corporation, who demanded the resignation of alderman Victor Roberts after he crossed the floor to join the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM).

Beckles claimed the prime minister deliberately turned a blind eye to the UNC-aligned protest, while harshly condemning demonstrations critical of the government. She also warned that Persad-Bissessar’s public comments on the Sealy case threaten to prejudice ongoing legal proceedings. The prime minister, a Senior Counsel, dismissed Wednesday’s protesters as engaging in “victim gimmickry”, but Beckles argued that as a legal professional, Persad-Bissessar understands full well that her public statements create damaging pre-trial publicity that can undermine a fair trial.

To back up her argument that the arrests were unjustified, Beckles pointed to a May 24 media release from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), which explicitly confirmed that protests are not prohibited under existing SoE regulations. “No country can survive when peaceful citizens are treated like enemies of the State,” she added.

The criticism extended to other opposition figures, who also pushed back against the prime minister’s recent comment that she would have no issue extending the SoE if recommended by the National Security Council — a body she chairs. Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales dismissed the claim as self-serving, arguing that any extension of the emergency order would amount to a clear admission of failure by the administration. It would also, he said, prove that the prime minister lied to the public when she campaigned on a promise of a credible plan to reduce violent crime.

Mickela Panday, political leader of the smaller Patriotic Front party, added her own rebuke in a public Facebook post Thursday, calling out Persad-Bissessar for labeling the Sealy protesters “grifters”. Panday argued that the prime minister’s words reflect not strength, but deep contempt for citizens exercising their democratic rights.

“If anyone breaks the law, let the law take its course. But citizens must not be broadly smeared because they speak, gather, question, or express concern about the use of State power,” she said. Panday stressed that when citizens are mocked for raising legitimate concerns, democratic institutions become weaker across the board. She echoed the opposition’s core argument that emergency powers have become a lazy replacement for actual policy, saying: “When emergency powers become the substitute for an anti-crime strategy, everyone should be concerned. Trinidad and Tobago does not need badjohn talk. It needs a crime plan.”