Caption: Regents Towers, Westmoorings
In Brief
- International Coverage: The New York Times has published a report on the controversial detentions of Trinidadian businessman Dominic Hadeed, his wife Genevievre, and her aunt Star Sabga.
- Local Collaboration: The article was co-authored by AZP News Editor-in-Chief Prior Beharry and NYT Newsroom Fellow Zane Irwin.
- SoE Scrutiny: The Times piece highlights how T&T’s State of Emergency (SoE) was used to hold the trio without charge for 30 to 60 days based on an intercepted private phone call.
- Political Tensions: The international report delves into the racial and political friction surrounding T&T’s Syrian-Lebanese community and questions the government’s narrative of an assassination plot.
- What’s Next: The global spotlight comes just as Trinidad and Tobago’s SoE is scheduled to expire on Tuesday, paving the way for the release of hundreds of other uncharged detainees.
By AZP News Reporter
PORT-OF-SPAIN – The controversial detentions of Trinidadian bottled-water magnate Dominic Hadeed, his wife Genevievre, and her 69-year-old aunt Star Sabga have captured international attention, featuring prominently in The New York Times on Tuesday.
Published on Page A4 in one of the most famous newspapers in the World, the article is headlined: “She Bashed the Government on a Private Call. Then She Was Detained for Months.” It stated how the detentions came after police obtained a recording of Sabga using a racial slur against Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar saying, “What has to happen for this to cool down is the death of one of her members of Parliament” and that “somebody getting a bullet in their head.”
The article was co-authored by The New York Times Newsroom Fellow Zane Irwin, reporting from New York, and AZP News Editor-in-Chief and President of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) Prior Beharry, reporting from Port of Spain.
The NYT article delves into the political and racial tensions that have flared in Trinidad and Tobago during the ongoing State of Emergency (SoE), which has been in place almost continuously since 2025. It details how Sabga and the Hadeeds, prominent members of the country’s Syrian-Lebanese minority, were swept up by authorities in June and held without charge for weeks following an intercepted private phone call.
According to the NYT report, the saga began after Attorney General John Jeremie made remarks in Parliament referring to the Syrian-Lebanese community as a “gang” that had taken over the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM). The NYT notes that the governing United National Congress (UNC) has frequently criticised the economic dominance of this minority group, often colloquially referred to as “the 1 percent.” Jeremie also said that some members of the community had their US visas revoked but the T&T government had nothing to do with that.
Angered by the Attorney General’s comments, Sabga called her niece, Genevievre, on June 11 to vent. During the conversation, which was intercepted by security agencies, Sabga used a slur against Persad-Bissessar and stated, “What has to happen for this to cool down is the death of one of her members of Parliament.”
Less than two weeks later, heavily armed police raided the Hadeeds’ home. Dominic and Genevievre Hadeed were held for nearly a month, while Ms. Sabga was detained for more than two months—first in a women’s prison where she endured strip searches, and later under strict house arrest at her Regents Towers home in Westmoorings.
The New York Times stated that the detentions sparked national debate, particularly the government’s use of warrantless searches and preventive detention under the SoE. The publication places T&T’s actions in a broader regional context, comparing the suspension of civil liberties to similar emergency measures in El Salvador, Honduras, and Jamaica.
Persad-Bissessar declined to answer specific questions from the Times regarding the Hadeeds but defended the SoE, telling reporters last Thursday, “It is very clear that the crime stats are down. Maybe it’s not the best thing to do, but it was very successful.”
The NYT piece also chronicles how the government’s assassination plot narrative unraveled locally after a 15-minute recording of the phone call was leaked to the media in July. The leak revealed that Dominic Hadeed was not even on the call, raising serious questions about the basis for his 30-day detention.
The article stated, “Ms. Sabga used a slur against the prime minister, an Indo-Trinidadian woman, and called her ‘a target.’
“‘Somebody’s getting a bullet in their head,’ Ms. Sabga had said. ‘What has to happen for this to cool down is the death of one of her members of Parliament.'”
While the Hadeeds and Sabga have all since been released and their detention orders revoked, the NYT report notes that the government has not officially closed the book on the matter. Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander is quoted in the article comparing the investigation into Sabga to the decades-long search for the killer of American rapper Tupac Shakur (and the subsequent charging of someone in 2023), telling local reporters, “It’s not over till it’s over.”
The New York Times story comes as Trinidad and Tobago’s State of Emergency is scheduled to expire on Tuesday, which is expected to trigger the release of hundreds of other detainees who have been held without charge.
