The Executive of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has expressed condolences to the family of Criminal Justice Advocate Akili Charles on "his unfortunate and untimely passing".
"Akili Charles championed a cause whilst incarcerated and continued to champion that cause well beyond his acquittal when there was no longer any personal benefit to him after having lost 9 years of his life incarcerated before his eventual discharge," the CBA said in a media statement.
It noted that beyond his advocacy for pretrial bail for charges of capital murder, Charles sought to advocate for much-needed changes in the Criminal Justice System now plagued with endemic delay, which continues to result in citizens being held without trials for periods far in excess of 10 years, delays which it said undermine the rule of law "and renders otiose our constitutional protections and farcical, the presumption of innocence".
The CBA noted that Charles also advocated against gang recruitment in his own area, a cause which is believed to have been the reason for his untimely demise.
"The Executive of the Criminal Bar on the occasion of Emancipation Day, recognizes the efforts of Akili Charles who fought to save the younger generation in his community from becoming part of the gang culture which in the last 20 years has disproportionately affected urban Afro Trinidadian youth. It is hoped that the untimely death of Akili Charles would not be in vain, as such we call on the relevant stakeholders to engage in a collaborative effort and take immediate steps to continue the work of rescuing the urban youth from the now pervasive gang culture."
The CBA said it stands ready and committed to lending its assistance to the cause of eradicating gang culture as well as in working with the Government, Opposition, Police and Judiciary with a view to restoring normalcy to the Criminal Justice System.
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