In a bid to have the prison service allow Halal meals provided, two Muslim prisoners have signalled their intent to sue.
Ayokie Charles and Sherwin Morgan, are challenging their rights to religious practice and beliefs after their requests for their families to provide Halal meals were denied by prison authorities.
Attorneys for the two prisoners wrote to the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Prisons on Monday, stating their intention to pursue legal action.
The lawyers are calling on the commissioner and the Attorney General to rescind the decision preventing the prisoners from having their families prepare and deliver Halal meals.
According to reports, the two, along with 241 Muslim prisoners, have been refusing their prison-issued meals since September and are surviving on mainly snacks and Crix and peanut butter they purchase from the canteen at the respective prisons.
Both men are on remand at the Port of Spain prison for almost a decade, awaiting their trial at the High Court.
Charles and Morgan are represented by attorneys Kiel Taklalsingh, Keron Ramkhalwhan, Rhea Khan and Shalini Sankar.
Ramkhalwhan said the Constitution allows for freedom of religious belief and observance.
“The intended applicants have a fundamental right to freedom of conscience, and religious belief and observance.
“The essence of the concept of freedom of religion is the inalienable right to hold and practice such religious beliefs as an individual chooses and to embody and manifest them openly and freely.
“Freedom of religious observance is equally the inalienable right to manifest, express and participate in such rituals, practices and activities which are a part of and consistent with avowed religious beliefs.”
The attorney said the failure of the prison authorities to have a policy for remanded Muslim prisoners to have access to Halal diets “have coerced and constrained these prisoners to forego their religious obligations and consume the food provided by the prisons.”
He added, “It is crucial to emphasise the spiritual implications of consuming non-Halal food for devout Muslims. Islamic teachings indicate that prayers and supplications (Dua’a) are integral to coping with adversity, and the denial of a Halal diet undermines the efficacy of these spiritual practices.
“The consumption of non-Halal food goes against the principles and dietary requirements outlined in Islamic teachings.
“By forcing Muslim prisoners on remand to consume non-Halal food, the prison system is directly undermining their religious rights and causing severe psychological harm.
“While we agree that prisoners do not enjoy the same freedoms and privileges of ordinary citizens, lawful incarceration does not permit the stripping of a person’s religious beliefs nor their abject dehumanisation.”