Officers of the Special Investigations Unit have executed a search warrant at Radio Jaagriti for evidence in relation to an alleged audio-visual clip, which aired on Tuesday 16th April, 2019.
This is according to a statement issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS).
It said that officers, led by Inspector Wayne Stanley, proceeded to the radio station, located at Pasea Main Road, Tunapuna, with the objective of verifying the authenticity of the clip and to obtain a copy of the recording, for further investigations.
The statement said that on arrival at the station, the officers met and spoke with two officials and a search warrant for evidence under Section 13 of the Sedition Act, Chapter 11:04, was shown to them.
It said that a master copy of an audio-visual recording was subsequently handed over to investigators and that the entire exercise was incident free.
What does the Sedition Act state?
Section three of the Act defines sedition:
3. (1) A seditious intention is an intention— (a) to bring into hatred or contempt, or to excite disaffection against Government or the Constitution as by law established or the House of Representatives or the Senate or the administration of justice; (b) to excite any person to attempt, otherwise than by lawful means, to procure the alteration of any matter in the State by law established; (c) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst inhabitants of Trinidad and Tobago; (d) to engender or promote— (i) feelings of ill-will or hostility between one or more sections of the community on the one hand and any other section or sections of the community on the other hand; or (ii) feelings of ill-will towards, hostility to or contempt for any class of inhabitants of Trinidad and Tobago distinguished by race, colour, religion, profession, calling or employment; or (e) to advocate or promote, with intent to destroy in whole or in part any identifiable group, the commission of any of the following acts, namely: (i) killing members of the group; or (ii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.
Section 13 of the Sedition Act, Chapter 11.04 states:
"If a Magistrate is satisfied by information on oath that there is reasonable cause to believe that an offence under this Act has been or is about to be committed he may grant a search warrant authorising any police officer to enter any premises or place named in the warrant, with such assistance as may be necessary, and if necessary by force, and to search the premises or place and every person found therein and to seize anything found on the premises or place which the officer has reasonable ground for suspecting to be evidence of an offence under this Act."