The life of Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel, who has been behind bars for at least a decade, is currently at risk, his attorney and family say. Kartel, for over eight years while in prison, has reportedly been battling Graves’ disease under conditions his attorney says are “inhumane.”
In May 2023, Kartel’s doctors warned that his Graves’ disease and heart condition were getting worse and that if he did not get surgery soon, it could be fatal, amid his jail cell being referred to as ‘an oven’. “He’s in a cell, and if you can picture a brick oven, because that’s how those cells are built, the ventilation is next to none,” human rights attorney Isat Buchanan says.
A prior medical report done by Kartel’s well-respected private physician, Dr. Karen Phillips, recommended surgery as soon as possible; the directive is yet to be effected. At least a week ago, Kartel was denied freedom after he won an appeal on his murder conviction.
Jamaica’s Court of Appeal has set a court date of June 10 through June 14 to decide whether to release Kartel and three other associates or try to bring a new case. Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and his three associates have been behind bars in Jamaican prisons since their arrests in 2011 for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams, whose body was never found.
