Outcry in Trinidad and Tobago after passing of police bill that could threaten press freedom

Journalists are calling for an urgent amendment to the Special Operations Bill, which boosts police search and seizure powers

Journalists in Trinidad and Tobago have called for an urgent amendment to a sweeping new bill that boosts police powers of search and seizure, which they argue threatens the country's much-vaunted freedom of the press.

The government says the Special Operations Bill 2026, passed on 24 September, is designed to tackle alarmingly high crime and murder rates in the Caribbean nation.