Press Association of Jamaica Calls on Judge to Reverse Decision to Bar Media From Murder Case Involving Jolyan Silvera

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) is calling for “an immediate reversal “ of the decision of a high court judge to bar the media and members of the public from the proceedings in the high profile murder case involving a former opposition legislator.

Jolyan Silvera with his late wife Melissa. (File Photo)Justice Vinette Graham-Allen on Thursday told reporters and family members that no permission would be granted to cover the trial of , who has been charged with the murder of his wife, Melissa.  Silvera is due to return to court on February 8.

According to police reports, on November 10 last year, Mrs Silvera reportedly died in her sleep, but a postmortem later revealed the presence of bullet fragments in her body.

In a statement, the PAJ says it is calling for an immediate reversal of the decision of the High Court judge, unless there is a compelling explanation and justification.

“If that is the case, the public must be informed what this is,” the PAJ said, noting that the principle of open justice is extremely important in Jamaica, where any member of the public should be free to observe court proceedings, except in exceptional circumstances.

It noted the high-profile nature of the murder case involving a former member of parliament, saying it is critical that the proceedings be open to public scrutiny to help maintain confidence in the justice system in general, and in the conduct of the case in particular.

“No reason has been given why this case should be an exception to the open justice principle.

“We see none, and believe that in fact, this case is a prime example of one which must be carefully scrutinised by the media and the public. We therefore call for an immediate reversal of this decision”.