The family of Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel provided an update about his current status, stating that his health condition is not getting any better, per FOX 5 NY. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, the 48-year-old’s lawyer, Isat Buchanan, last year stated that Kartel was suffering “life-threatening” illnesses including Graves’ disease and two heart conditions.
Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Azim Palmer, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 after he was found guilty of his involvement in the murder of his former associate, Clive “Lizard” Williams. The “Worl’ Boss”, as he’s popularly known, has been locked up since his 2011 arrest in connection with the highly publicized murder.
The case, however, recently took another turn after the United Kingdom’s Privy Council nullified the murder convictions of Kartel and two of his three co-defendants in March. But in May, a judge in Jamaica’s Supreme Court ordered Kartel and two of his three co-defendants to remain in prison after their attorneys filed an unsuccessful habeas corpus application.
In a previous interview with with FOX 5 NY‘s Lisa Evers, Buchanan claimed the musician’s life was being put in danger as a result of the squalid conditions in the prison. Evers also received a sworn medical affidavit that reportedly showed Kartel’s private doctor had informed authorities that the incarcerated musician needed to undergo surgery as soon as possible because his Graves’ Disease diagnosis and heart issues were exacerbating.
“Mr. Palmer’s illness is actually life-threatening,” Buchanan, who is also a human rights lawyer, said in that interview, adding that Kartel had been placed in a 23-hour daily solitary lockdown because of an alleged cellphone violation.
“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,” said Buchanan. The Summer Time musician’s attorney also claimed that his health was taking a nosedive because of the harsh lockdown conditions. Besides a lack of ventilation in the brick cell and no access to water, Buchanan claimed the musician had been provided a bucket for toilet.
“His neck was swollen, if you think of a shirt that is about 18.5 inches in the neck area, you couldn’t close the collar on his neck and that’s how bad it is in this moment,” Buchanan said. “His face is actually swollen. And one other thing. He always wears glasses; in this condition, that causes his eyes to protrude.”
Kartel’s medical condition at the time stated that he was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease seven years ago, adding that the condition had not gone into remission though he had been taking medication. In addition to that, the She Holding On singer has heart issues, the report also claimed.
