By Breaking Belize News Staff: Belizean prisoner in Guatemala, Joseph Ryan Budna, has announced the launch of a new Facebook page after his previous account was disabled, using a recorded statement from prison in Guatemala to urge Belizeans to follow the new platform while again directing strong criticism at the Government of Belize.
Budna said the new “Ryan Budna” page will continue carrying news and what he describes as exposés of corruption involving government and other entities.
“Ryan Budna is back in full effect,” Budna said, urging supporters to “like, share, comment and also follow the page.”
But Budna also used the message to criticize the Briceño administration, arguing that Belizeans are facing increasing economic pressures and accusing the Government of failing to adequately address the concerns of ordinary citizens.
“The country is going through a crisis,” Budna said, before criticizing fuel costs and claiming the Government “doesn’t care for the people.” Those comments represent Budna’s own political assessment.
Budna, who remains imprisoned in Guatemala, also claimed that he has received no assistance from Belize’s embassy there for approximately two and a half months. He questioned why embassy representatives have not travelled to the prison to obtain information or signatures he says are required in relation to his ongoing case in Belize.
Following Budna’s controversial return to Guatemalan custody in August 2025, Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Embassy of Belize in Guatemala had been instructed to provide him with consular support, including ensuring access to medical assistance and protection of his human rights.
Budna continues to maintain that he was forcibly removed from Belize and handed over to Guatemalan authorities. That allegation is now the subject of a constitutional claim before Belize’s High Court. In May, Justice Martha Alexander refused an application to strike out the case in its entirety, allowing Budna’s constitutional claim against the State, represented by the Attorney General, to proceed.
Budna also addressed the escalating diplomatic dispute between Belize and Guatemala over a Guatemalan military aircraft that Belize says entered its sovereign airspace last week.
He said the incident has caused him additional concern because he is a Belizean being held in a Guatemalan prison while the two countries remain locked in a territorial, insular and maritime dispute.
Belize says Guatemalan Air Force aircraft FAG706 entered Belizean airspace on the night of September 24, manoeuvred around the Lighthouse Reef area and remained inside Belizean airspace for roughly an hour before departing to the south. Belizean defence officials say the aircraft disappeared from secondary radar after its transponder was switched off but continued to be detected on primary radar.
Prime Minister John Briceño subsequently raised the incident before the United Nations General Assembly, describing it as a breach of international law. Guatemala has categorically denied that the overflight occurred and accused Belize of spreading misinformation, saying it is prepared to provide records and cooperate with an investigation.
Against that backdrop, Budna said he is concerned about his safety and well-being while imprisoned in Guatemala.
“I’m a Belizean in a foreign prison,” Budna said, adding that while he is “not afraid,” he intends to hold the Belize Government accountable for what he alleges was his unlawful removal from Belize.
Guatemalan authorities maintain that Budna was detained pursuant to outstanding warrants after escaping from custody in 2019. He had previously been convicted in Guatemala in kidnapping cases. The circumstances surrounding how he travelled from Orange Walk Town on August 22, 2025, to Guatemalan custody the following day remain disputed.
For now, Budna says his immediate message to his followers is simple: find and follow his new official Facebook page, where he says he intends to resume publishing information and commentary from behind bars.
The post In statement from prison, Joseph Budna urges followers to follow new page; blasts GOB over gas prices, says Government will be held responsible if anything happens to him in Guatemala prison appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Belizean prisoner in Guatemala, Joseph Ryan Budna, has announced the launch of a new Facebook page after his previous account was disabled, using a recorded statement from prison in Guatemala to urge Belizeans to follow the new platform while again directing strong criticism at the Government of Belize. Budna said
The post In statement from prison, Joseph Budna urges followers to follow new page; blasts GOB over gas prices, says Government will be held responsible if anything happens to him in Guatemala prison appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.