The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a parliamentary democracy with vibrant media and civil society sectors. However, organized crime contributes to high levels of violence, and corruption among public officials remains a challenge. Discrimination against LGBT+ people and violence against women persist, and human trafficking is a concern.

• The country continued to struggled with violent crime. A total of 623 homicides occurred during the year, breaking the previous annual record of 605 in 2022; the smaller and typically safer island of Tobago registered its own record high of 26 murders. In response, the government declared a state of emergency in late December, empowering police and soldiers to conduct searches without warrants and to detain individuals for up to 48 hours, though no curfew was imposed.
• A number of legal cases raised concerns about press freedom. In January and March, courts ruled against a musician and a newspaper in separate defamation suits, ordering them to pay financial compensation to a businessman and the finance minister, respectively. In May, a Canadian vlogger was charged under a colonial-era sedition law after posting videos of his visits to areas affected by gang violence; he was later accused of money laundering, and the case was pending at year’s end.
• In July, Parliament adopted the Whistleblower Protection Act, which provided safeguards against retaliation for those who report evidence of corruption and other malfeasance, as well as regulations on the handling of such complaints. Opposition lawmakers who voted against the measure pointed to concerns, including the risk that it could inhibit the ability of accused individuals to defend themselves and confront their accusers.
• Financial transparency remained a point of contention during the year. In May, the Finance Ministry announced an investigation targeting Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass, who had engaged in a dispute with the ministry over a large discrepancy in its revenue submissions. Ramdass challenged the legality of the probe in court, and the case remained unresolved at year’s end. In September, the Office of Procurement Regulation reported that a significant share of contracts had been awarded by public bodies without using fully competitive procurement methods, and that public institutions lacked the resources necessary for full compliance with the procurement law.

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For additional background information, see last year’s full report.