Dominic Hadeed, the owner of Blue Waters, a bottled water company based in Trinidad and Tobago, along with his wife Genevieve, filed an appeal on Tuesday challenging their ongoing detention. The couple is accused of being part of a conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the attorney general, and other senior government figures.
Both Hadeed and his wife have flatly denied the allegations. Their legal team argues that the detentions amount to political retaliation targeting members of an ethnic minority community believed to be aligned with the opposition.
Hadeed is of Syrian origin and is a member of Trinidad’s Syrian-Lebanese community. According to the appeal, authorities reportedly used the derogatory term “1%” when referring to that community.
The couple was taken into custody in late June under emergency powers provisions. Hadeed has since been held at the Port of Spain Remand Yard, while his wife was transferred to the Maximum Security Women’s Prison. Both remain detained as they await a scheduled hearing on July 27.
