WRITTEN BY: Regula Rebel
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/UALIQG2AUV73B1
After Vybz Kartel, the Jamaican dancehall artiste, had his 35 t0 life jail sentence traduced and thus got released from jail to be a free man, there only hasn’t been a dichotomy of conflicting factions arguing over his freedom, but there has also surged a surprise side faction of conspiracy theorists that claim Vybz Kartel was released about-to-die and they base their claim on the artiste’s serious ill health and his alleged business-based marriage to Sidem Ozturk, a 32-year-old UK-based Turkish.
Sidem Ozturk and Vybz Kartel got engaged in the summer of 2022 while Vybz Kartel was still in prison inside the Tower Street Adult Correctional Center in Kingston, Jamaica.
Vybz Kartel was the leader of Gaza, a music business hub of artistes and thugs he established.
WHY VYBZ KARTEL GOT CONVICTED
Vybz Kartel had his 35 to life conviction in 2014 following his court trial lost to a murder case involving the August 16 2011 killing of Clive “Lizard” Williams over two missing fire arms.
The court said Kartel’s Gaza cohort gave Clive Williams and Lamar Chow the two fire arms for safekeeping, but when Gaza needed the fire arms back, Clive and Chow didn’t return them, on the excuse that the fire arms are missing and they would buy them back for Gaza. Later, Gaza drove Clive and Chow into a house at for interrogation by Vybz Kartel, Shawn Storm, Kahira Jones and others, but Clive and Chow got tortured in the process. Clive got killed on the spot. Clive’s death got Vybz Kartel implicated by the law, as he is the leader of Gaza and so the court took it that he ordered Clive’s murder. Clive Williams’ dead body was never discovered.
According to Lamar Chow’s testimony in court at the 2011 trial, he fled torture and Kartel and Shawn chased after him and caught him when he attempted to run out of the house. By the time Kartel and Shawn dragged him back to the torture spot, Clive was on the floor lifeless while Kahira Jones was holding a construction block over Clive.
Vybz Kartel was imprisoned with three of his Gaza members: Shawn “Storm” Campbell, Andre St John and Kahira Jones. Shane Williams, though, was charged with Kartel, he wasn’t convicted. His charge didn’t merit conviction.
Shawn “Storm’ Campbell and Andre St John were released from prison on 30th August 2024 alongside Vybz Kartel. However, Kahira Jones wasn’t released. He remains in prison custody to continue serving a sentence in a separate and unrelated case of gun-related offences which amounted a total 18-year prison term.
WHY VYBZ KARTEL WAS FREED
Kartel maintained his innocence entirely and launched appeals against his conviction. His first appeal was launched in 2020. The appeals covered Kartel and his convicted friends.
In March, 2024, when the appeal was taken to UK’s Privy Council for hearing, Lord Lloyd Jones quashed the original conviction due to juror misconduct at the 2011 trial of the case in Jamaica. UK’s Privy Council stands as Jamaica’s final court of appeal.
When the Privy Council passed the decision back to Jamaica’s court of appeal to determine whether a new trial will be held, local Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop said the interests of justice do not require a new trial, thus Vybz Kartel had to be freed.
Aside the 2011 trial juror misconduct which made the Privy Council quash the original conviction, the additional reasons that led to Kartel’s release are one: the 2011 evidences for the trial were flawed, two: Lamar Chow, the key witness conflicted his testimony, three: Kartel’s severe poor health in prison and four: statutory financial constraints, as a retrial would cost the Jamaican justice court huge sums of money.
TANEHSHA LEAVES, SIDEM OZTURK COMES IN
Prior to Kartel’s incarceration, he was married to Tanesha Johnson as his common-law wife. He had three children with her. While Kartel was in prison, it was rumoured that Tanesha was seeing another man and that apparently led to Kartel divorcing her. Their divorce gave way to Sidem Ozturk to stand a chance to engage with Kartel. Sidem is a Gaza fan. She first met Kartel in 2019 on a prison visit and they began a love relationship. Later in 2022 they got engaged.
Sidem is a well-educated Turkish of Kurdish decent, that was living and working in London as a social worker. She studied psychology, sociology, and philosophy.
Sidem is now living in Jamaica with Kartel. She speaks highly of Vybz Katerl that he is a very loving and witty person. Kartel and Sidem are enjoying an enviable beautiful relationship, shopping together and also flying in lush private jets to vacation destinations for fun outside Jamaica. They were spotted boarding a private jet with Isat Buchanan, Vybz Kartel’s attorney.
THE KARTEL-SIDEM ENGAGEMENT, A HOLLYWOOD BUSINESS
Not too long prior to his release, Vybz Kartel was reported severely sick. Walking out of jail on 30th August 2024, he really looked severely sick, clearly showing symptoms of Graves’ Disease. It hit the news later that he was diagnosed with a heart condition and thyroid which are basis for Graves’ Disease. His face and tummy were swollen, giving him a whole new look. His voice also changed. His legs were very weak and he walked visibly feeble.
According to conspiracy theorists, Vybz Kartel’s severe poor health was maliciously caused by the powers that be. They say the powers that be gave him secret lethal injections and deadly meals in prison. Kartel’s attorney, Isat Buchanan already told the public that Kartel was being given a poor treatment in prison, but he didn’t elaborate on the details of such poor treatment.
The conspiracy theorists also claim that Vybz Kartel’s official in-prison engagement or marriage to Sidem Ozturk is one that was secretly organized by the same super powers for them and Sidem to control Vybz Kartel’s music legacy after his death. Their claim made it clear that Kartel is ignorant of the engagement arrangement between Sidem and the industry super power.
In a disputable confidence, Kartel’s conspiracy theorists confidently conclude that Sidem is an industry plant that was sowed into Kartel’s life by industry super powers and they expressly point the power source to the West — probably Hollywood, but on the contrary, Vybz Kartel has publicly declared in a video that he proposed love to Sidem while he was in prison when she visited him and after Sidem accepted his proposal, he then told her to come stay in Jamaica while his attorney Isat Bachanan was busy fighting for his possible release and he knew he would be out soon to come be with Sidem and they would live as love partners.
When Sidem got engaged to Vybz Kartel in 2022, there wasn’t much of conspiracy theories around their engagement until Kartel’s released in 2024 when the theories started popping out.
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THE FREED VYBZ KARTEL, A CLONE
Another sect of conspiracy theorists is of the claim that the freed Vybz Kartel is not the original Vybz Kartel. Their claim says the now freed Vybz Kartel is a clone. Some say the original Vybz Kartel died in prison and as the super powers and the Jamaican prison authority don’t want to incur the wrathful uproar of Jamaicans and Gaza fans worldwide, they decided to release a Vybz Kartel clone to cover up the death of the original.
A third conspiracy theory sect is of the claim that the industry super powers want Vybz Kartel dead, but not in prison, so they altered his health and released him already dying for him to come out to finally die at home in a few years later. This sect maintains it that Vybz Kartel has a short life expectancy now and will thus die sooner.
Against all these dark and scary conspiracy theories surrounding Vybz Kartel’s well-fought for freedom, his severe poor health as he has Graves’ Disease and his alleged scam marriage to Sidem, many Gaza fans are super optimistic that Vybz Kartel will be back to normalcy overtime, after a series of proper medical treatment. Their massive optimism stems from the fact that prisoners that spend a decade or more in jail mostly come out drastically unwell with strange body changes as effects of growth or ailments and Vybz Kartel is no exception.
EXERCISE FOR GOOD HEALTH
Vybz Kartel is seriously exercising in the gym to gain fitness while undergoing proper medical treatment.
Videos of him receiving medical attention and videos of him exercising in the gym have gone viral, cementing the public trust that he would recuperate rapidly in a surprise effect than expected.
