LONG WAIT FOR FREEDOM

In a stark contrast to the quiet, tense atmosphere inside the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston, a fervent crowd gathered outside, anxiously awaiting the verdict of dancehall star Vybz Kartel's latest appeal.

The principle of habeas corpus, which protects individuals from unlawful imprisonment, was at the centre of this high-profile case. Fans were anticipating the release of the entertainer, given name Adidja Palmer, after his attorneys had sought his release, and the release of co-accused Shawn Campbell and Andre St John, after their 2014 murder convictions were quashed by the UK Privy Council in March. Vybz Kartel has been behind bars for 12 years and eight months. But High Court Judge Andrea Thomas' decision on Thursday left many disheartened as she ruled that the deejay and his two co-accused will remain incarcerated, pending a decision in the Court of Appeal on whether they should be retried for murder. Another co-accused, Kahira Jones, reportedly has another matter before the court.

Some supporters did not take the news well. Among them was 93-year-old Iris Roberts, who admitted that while she didn't fully understand the whole process, she knew that it was "judgment day" for Vybz Kartel.

"They should let him out. He got a punishment and him do enough, they should let him out," Roberts expressed passionately. "They don't have no evidence, so dem nuh have no case, and if the biggest court free him, why dem hold on pon him same way?"

Roberts shared her deep affection for Vybz Kartel, saying, "I love him! I love him!"

"Twelve children I have and him could [have been] mi son," she said. "All of us are sinners and all of us are short of the glory of God, and if we say we are without sin we are liars."

The atmosphere outside the court was dramatic. Supporters chanted "Free Worl' Boss" and some even began to shout and push when they mistakenly thought he was being transferred in a police vehicle. But that was not the case as Vybz Kartel and his co-accused remained at the facility where Thomas' ruling was delivered.

Thomas explained that while the applicants' convictions have been invalidated by the Court of Appeal, they have not been declared innocent, and the charges against them are still active. She ruled that the conviction of the applicants has been set aside, but no acquittal has been entered.

"They are still awaiting the determination of their appeals on the aspect of whether or not there should be a retrial. Until the verdict of acquittal has been entered, the charge of murder against the applicants remains. As long as the charge remains, and in light of the fact they are in custody by virtue of an order for committing court, it cannot be said that the superintendent of prisons, in refusing to release them, is acting unlawfully," the judge ruled.

In her concluding statements she announced that the court is awaiting further decisions on whether Vybz Kartel and his co-accused will face a retrial. The judge, however, extended a silver lining by granting a "no order of cost" for filing the habeas corpus application.