BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A petition by concerned fans of dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel for a retrial in his case was on Monday (Mar. 17) removed from the White House online website.
According to the Jamaican Star, the fans of Vybz Kartel created the petition under a segment of the website called ‘We the People’ and signed by over 480 persons. However, for a petition to be viewed it needs over 100 000 signatures.
The petition stated: “Jamaican Dancehall Artiste Vybz Kartel did not get a fair trial he deserved. Evidence has been tampered with in his case by law enforcement of Jamaica. He was found guilty before his trial started. Everyone deserves a fair trial whether they reside in the US or not. United States needs to investigate the corruption in this case.”
The media house reported that the White House website explained that the removal of the petition was done under their “Moderation Policy”.
It was also stated that the act was a violation of their terms of policy.
‘We the People’ was created by the Obama administration to provide residents of the United States of America an opportunity to petition the current administration’s policy experts.
If the said petition acquires the required signatures, it will then be reviewed by officials in the administration and an official response would be issued.
The tagline reads: “Giving all Americans a way to engage their government on issues that matter to them.”
On Thursday (Mar. 13), Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, along with Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John were convicted at the Home Circuit Court in Jamaica for the August 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams, who was believed killed at Kartel’s Havendale, St. Andrew house.
The trial lasted for 65 days and the three men could face life imprisonment when they return to court on March 27 for their sentence hearing.
According to the Jamaican Gleaner, “The men will be sentenced to life imprisonment and the judge will recommend how many years they will serve before they are eligible for parole. In the case of murder, the parole time can run to more than 15 years.”
