5 days ago
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Belize’s handling of missing-person cases is under review by the United Nations, with the country being asked to explain what happened in hundreds of cases that remain unresolved.
Over the past several years, police recorded 892 missing-person reports. Between 2019 and 2023 alone, there were 589 reports. Of that number, 304 people returned home and 17 were found dead. That leaves 268 cases for which the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances is seeking clearer information. The issue has taken on added relevance following the case of Joseph Budna. Budna was reportedly forced into a vehicle in Orange Walk Town in August 2025 and later surfaced in the custody of Guatemalan authorities. He alleged that Belizean police officers were involved in taking him across the border, an allegation the Police Department denied. ASP Stacy Smith explained why the Budna case is not relevant to the discussion, even though it has not been classified as an enforced disappearance.
ASP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “On 18th and 19th September, 2026, Belize made representation before the Committee on Enforced Disappearance at the 31st session of that committee’s sitting. The Committee of Enforced Disappearance is a body of independent experts which monitors the implementation of the convention for the protection of all persons against enforced disappearance by state parties. This follows Belize’s submission of it’s response to the list of issues in the absence of a report that was adopted by the committee at the 26th session, which was held in February and March of 2024. The response submitted was compiled and it included input from various ministries and departments as well as other agencies. The validation of that report was done in July of 2025 and it was subsequently submitted to the cabinet which approve it in 2025 and also approve inter alia the request to comply with our obligation in that convention to domesticate the convention having acceded to it in 2015.”
Reporter: In reference to Joseph Budna to quote the BPP, she said obviously a crime has been committed. You know a Belizean citizen that was in Belize is now in Guatemalan prison. It was not his intention to go to the Guatemalan prison and he has spoken and he has said what happened to him. She had said a crime had been committed. Do you consider Joseph Budna to be a victim of an enforced disappearance ?
ASP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “What I will say in relation to the question is that several things need to be borne in mind. Firstly the definition of what classifies as an enforced disappearance strictly speaking Mr. Budna’s whereabouts is known and has been known for quite some time. What also needs to be taken into account is that this report was compiled from 2024. I think up to June of 2025 and the validation occurred in July of 2025 so this predated the matter concerning Mr. Budna and that is the extent to which I will comment.”
Reporter: Do you feel any sense of disingenuousness to go to Switzerland to go behind a national position which is that there has been no enforced disappearances in Belize other than James Herbert knowing that Budna’s abduction fits all the criterias for the disappearance ?
ASP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “I will refer to the response that I gave first in that Mr.Budna’s whereabouts is known so strictly speaking it does not fall within that criteria and I will also refer to the fact that that report was in relation to matter up to 2023 I believe so that is what we were presenting. They would have gotten the report in 2025 but when the review was done it was up to the period of 2023.”
For 2025, Belize reported another 99 missing persons. Forty-five percent were found safe, 47 percent of the cases remained under investigation and four percent involved people who were found dead. Belize admitted that its record-keeping system needs work. In some cases, a person returns home, but police are not informed and the official record is never updated. The Government says it is now going through the information and expects to have a more reliable police database by the end of the year. Smith also spoke about the media’s role when someone goes missing. She said timely reporting can help police and families get information out quickly, but accuracy is equally important, especially when sharing details about an active investigation or reporting that someone has returned.
ASP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “As I stated and genuinely so in that investigation. And as I have said to you guys on many occasions when we meet here on these instances that I do recognize the role of the media and the importance that it plays. And certainly it provides an added level of transparency. And I love the fact, and that was a fact that I highlighted before the committee, that should there be an instance where police did something that was untoward or out of order by the six o’clock news you may see those very persons inside these media houses giving their reports so that is an added level of transparency or supervision so to speak when it comes to all public officials because the role that we play with great power comes with great responsibility. It would want to appear that there’s an appearance on the medias part, on my lovely friends at Channel 7 part to paint me as a person who does not recognize the importance of the media and that would be most unfortunate. You guys would know that I come here on every occasion and when I speak I speak with truth, I try to be as accurate in my representation because as I stated then and as I will reaffirm now I recognize the role and the importance of the media. I believe in relation to, there is never an enough amount of time I do believe because of how diligent our media personnel are they would want to ask questions up until 5:30 and then run to the newsroom to get the package out. So I think the media too has to recognize that they have been given latitude but certainly there is always room for continued dialogue.”
The UN committee also wants Belize to make enforced disappearance a separate crime. This is not the same as an ordinary missing-person report. It refers to someone being detained by the State, or by people acting with the State’s support, followed by a refusal to say where that person is or what happened to them. Belize told the committee that it has no recorded cases of enforced disappearance. Kidnapping, abduction and unlawful detention are already criminal offences, but the committee says those laws do not cover everything involved in an enforced-disappearance case. Belize joined the international convention in 2015, but it has still not been fully incorporated into local law. Cabinet approved that process in June 2025 and instructed the Attorney General’s Ministry to prepare the legislation. That work is expected to begin in June 2027. The committee also wants police officers and other officials who deal with people in custody to receive specific training on enforced disappearance. Officers currently receive general human-rights training, but the topic is not taught on its own. Belize did receive some credit. Families can report someone missing immediately; there is no requirement to wait 24 or 48 hours.
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