Today (May 31), Fox 5 New York shared an exclusive interview with human rights attorney Isat Buchanan, the lawyer representing Jamaican Dancehall icon Vybz Kartel. During the conversation, he revealed that his imprisoned client is facing life-threatening health complications.
Born Adidja Palmer, Kartel has been behind bars since serving time for a 2011 murder conviction, and while he insists he’s innocent, he’s now battling another fight with the legal system. After a recent alleged cell phone infraction, the “Happy Pum Pum” artist is in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, and Buchanan says the conditions are unbearable. “Mr. Palmer’s illness is actually life-threatening,” the attorney said of his client, who suffers from Graves’ Disease and a heart condition.
“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,” Buchanan claimed. The Pon Di Gaza hitmaker’s supporters are now concerned about the situation. “All over a damn cellphone. A F**KING cellphone,” one fan said of the news. “Vybz Kartel having life-threatening medical issues is not what I wanted to hear today,” another added. Buchanan told the news station he visited his client on Memorial Day (May 29), and the 47-year-old has no air circulation, no water, and a bucket for a 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… His face is actually swollen. And one other thing: He always wears glasses; in this condition, that causes his eyes to protrude,” Buchanan said of the Kingston, Jamaica native. “I wholeheartedly, truly from the depths of my soul, do not wanna hear anything other than good things discussing Vybz Kartel. Not THE Gaza legend because I cannot go for that,” a tweet read.
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