Latoya Nugent of the Tambourine Army, a group that campaigns against gender-based violence, was charged with breaching the Cybercrimes Act.
The co-founder of a new organisation that campaigns against gender-based violence in Jamaica has been arrested after posting the names of alleged sexual predators on social media.
“She posted information on social media reportedly maligning several individuals as sexual predators,” Lindsay said.
Nugent’s arrest came just days after she helped organise the country’s first major protest against sexual abuse. Her group, Tambourine Army, has urged survivors of sexual abuse to reveal the name of their attackers.
Her supporters say Nugent’s detention represents a threat to freedom of speech and have started a GoFundMe campaign for her legal expenses.
Nugent was due to attend a bail hearing on the morning of 15 March but fell ill overnight and did not appear in court.
Nadeen Spence, co-founder of Tambourine Army, said Nugent lost consciousness and experienced five seizures, and that she was denied access to her personal doctor.
Jamaica’s 2015 Cybercrimes Act is a wide-ranging piece of legislation that covers a range of offences, including revenge porn and internet trolling.
Annie Paul, a newspaper column writer and commentator from Kingston, described the law as a “menace to civil society and democracy”.