"Haile Selassie I Tribunal Forming To Hear First Case on Behalf of the People.”

PRESS RELEASE / PUBLIC COMMUNIQUÉ

Special needs caregiver and Human Rights Advocate, Karen Francis, files Human Rights Petition for Justice on behalf of 72 year old elderly man and the RasTafari Community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 21, 2025

21, 2025

Contact: Karen Alyssa Francis Founder, Empress Menen Human Rights Institute Haile Selassie I MetaVersity — www.HaileSelassieIMetaVersity.org📧 empress@empresszaria.com

 | 📞 876-816-1953

Headline:

Rastafari Human Rights Tribunal to Hear Petition for Justice and $3.5MIL USD Remedy in the Case of Lancelott Watson

Kingston, Jamaica — October 21, 2025.

Caregiver and Human Rights Advocate, Karen Francis aka Empress Zaria, has escalated a Formal Petition for Justice and Remedy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention demanding immediate redress in the case of Mr. Lancelott Watson, a disabled senior citizen and human-rights defender who has suffered over ten years of deprivation and systemic abuse at the hands of Jamaica’s legal institutions.

The Petition cites repeated violations of Jamaica’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (2011 Amendment), the Disabilities Act (2014), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The document, submitted by Founder of the Empress Menen Human Rights Institute and Human Rights Defender Karen Alyssa Francis, demanded a written response within seven (7) days and sought USD $3.5 million in damages for economic, moral, and punitive harm. It also called for Mr. Watson’s immediate release from Bellevue Hospital and the establishment of an independent oversight process to prevent further violations of his constitutional and human rights.

International and Historical Context

The filing references historic and ongoing injustices in Jamaica’s judicial system, including:

• The wrongful conviction of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, later overturned;

• The continuous violation of Rastafarians’ religious rights to use ganja sacramentally;

• The prolonged and unresolved case of Joseph Patterson, restricted for peacefully challenging government mandates; and

• The judicial delays obstructing Dr. Devon Taylor’s JABBEM.org case for public access to Jamaica’s beaches.

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According to the petition, these examples demonstrate the courts’ “inability or unwillingness to find against the Government of Jamaica in cases of human-rights violations,” underscoring “a structural conflict of interest that limits judicial independence and denies justice to the people.”

Founding of the Haile Selassie I Tribunal

To hear Lance Watson and other human rights cases, Karen is coordinating the creation of Haile Selassie I Tribunal for Justice and Remedy, accessible through the Haile Selassie I MetaVersity (HSIM) online platform. the 5 member Tribunal is comprised of 5 human rights advocates has being created as a community-based restorative-justice mechanism under Section 6(2)(a) of the Justice Reform (Restorative Justice) Act (2016). It also functions as an independent monitoring mechanism under Article 33(2) of the CRPD, aligning with Jamaica’s international treaty obligations.

The Tribunal’s founding cases—Mr. Watson, and demand for withdrawal of USA military presence from Caribbean seas—will serve as precedence for future petitions addressing systemic human-rights violations, particularly those affecting persons with disabilities, Rastafarians, and indigenous peoples.

Empress Zaria Speaks

The case of Mr. Lancelott Watson echoes the historical persecution of Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Leonard Percival Howell, both of whom suffered at the hands of the colonial and postcolonial State for daring to demand justice, freedom, and self-determination for African people.

Garvey’s wrongful conviction for sedition — now overturned — stands as legal proof that the State has historically criminalized truth-tellers and freedom fighters. Yet, full justice remains incomplete until Garvey’s conviction is formally vacated, his record cleared, and his status as Jamaica’s first National Hero reaffirmed in law and national conscience.

Likewise, Leonard Howell, the first to publicly proclaim the divinity of Emperor Haile Selassie I and the founding father of the Rastafari movement, was persecuted, imprisoned, and ultimately confined to Bellevue Hospital, the same institution where Mr. Watson now suffers. Howell’s confinement represented not medical care but political punishment — a weaponization of psychiatry to suppress spiritual and cultural awakening.

In the interest of truth and national healing, the Empress Menen Human Rights Institute calls for Leonard Howell to be recognized and declared a National Hero, alongside His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw, whose leadership, wisdom, and compassion continue to inspire global movements for justice, unity, and peace.

Such recognition would not only correct historical wrongs but also affirm the moral and legal foundation upon which Jamaica’s commitment to human rights — and its constitutional promise of equality — must stand.

The case of Mr. Lancelott Watson echoes the historical persecution of Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Leonard Percival Howell, both of whom suffered under colonial and postcolonial systems for daring to demand justice, self-determination, and spiritual freedom for African people.

Garvey’s wrongful conviction for sedition—now overturned—stands as legal evidence of systemic misuse of law to silence truth. Yet true justice will only be achieved when his conviction is fully vacated, his record completely cleared, and his honor as Jamaica’s first National Hero reaffirmed in both law and national conscience.

Similarly, Leonard Howell, the first to publicly proclaim the divinity of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I and the founding father of the Rastafari movement, was imprisoned and later confined to Bellevue Hospital—the same institution now holding Mr. Watson. Howell’s confinement was not medical care but political punishment: an attempt to pathologize enlightenment and criminalize African identity. His legacy demands formal acknowledgment and his elevation to National Hero status alongside Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw, whose united example of divine order, education, and justice transformed global history.

In this lineage stands 72 year old Mr. Lancelott Watson, whose endurance amid systemic persecution and unlawful confinement makes him a living symbol of the abuse of psyciatry struggle for human dignity. His suffering and advocacy reveal the ongoing need for checks and balances in law and in governance, reminding the nation that when the courts and state fail to serve justice, the people themselves must become its guardians.

“Mr. Watson’s confinement at Bellevue Hospital constitutes psychiatric abuse, a form of psychological torture and political psychiatry, wherein the mechanisms of mental health care are weaponized to suppress lawful dissent and silence victims of state abuse. Such practices violate Articles 7 and 9 of the ICCPR, Articles 1 and 16 of the Convention Against Torture, and the UN Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness (Resolution 46/119).”

The Empress Menen Human Rights Institute therefore calls for the recognition of Lancelott Watson as a National Hero or Defender of Human Rights, representing the conscience of the Jamaican people and the eternal warning that power must answer to principle, and government must answer to God.

Call for Partnership and Oversight

The Institute is inviting partnership with the Ministry of Justice, Disabilities Rights Tribunal, and Public Defender, as well as from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, to ensure oversight and compliance with international human-rights norms.

Should Jamaican authorities fail to respond within seven (7) days, the matter will be escalated to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and relevant UN Special Rapporteurs for precautionary measures and international review.

About the Empress Menen Human Rights Institute

The Empress Menen Human Rights Institute is a community-based organization grounded in the legacy of Empress Menen Asfaw and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I. It is dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of all people—especially those historically marginalized through race, disability, poverty, or faith. Through the Haile Selassie I MetaVersity, the Institute provides education, legal advocacy, and restorative-justice services across Jamaica, Africa, and the global diaspora.

ENDS