Articles & News

March 26, 2008

US paints bleak picture of Human rights violations in the Caribbean

Antigua Sun

WASHINGTON (CMC) – The United States Department of State has painted a bleak picture of human rights violations in the Caribbean.

In its “US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2007,” released this month, the State Department accused the region of a number of violations, ranging from excessive use of force by police, to poor prison conditions, to discrimination and violence against women.

The report described prison conditions in Antigua and Barbuda as “poor,” attributing overcrowding in part to “a law that limited the ability of magistrates to grant bail to those accused of certain offences”.

“This resulted in an increase in the number of people held on remand or awaiting trial, which totalled 80 at year’s end,” it said.

“Due to space limitations, authorities sometimes held persons on remand together with convicted prisoners,” it added.

The State Department said though the Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, the Baldwin Spencer administration respects these rights on a "somewhat limited basis”.

In the Bahamas, the report said while the government generally respects the human rights of its citizens, there were problems in some areas, including complaints of abuse by police and prison and detention centre guards, lengthy pre-trial detention, poor detention conditions, delays in trials, violence against women and children, and discrimination against individuals of Haitian descent.

“The Immigration Department conducted an audit of outstanding residence and citizenship claims in August but did not make known any specific results by year’s end,” the report said.

The State Department identified alleged human rights problems in Barbados as excessive use of force by police, poor prison conditions, and societal violence against women and children.

It cited a June 2006 case in which police shot and killed an unidentified man who allegedly stabbed a police officer.

“While the Constitution specifically prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment, there were reports that police sometimes used excessive force,” the report said.

In Belize, the State Department said human rights problems included brutality and the use of excessive force by security forces.

“Lengthy pre-trial detention remained a problem,” the report said, adding that domestic violence, discrimination against women, sexual abuse of children, trafficking in persons for sexual and labour exploitation, and child labour were endemic.

The report said human rights problems in Dominica primarily involve violence against women and children and “adverse conditions” experienced by indigenous Kalinago or Carib Indians.

“The Kalinago people continued to suffer from low levels of unofficial and societal discrimination,” it said.

In Grenada, the State Department said human rights problems include allegations of corruption, violence against women, and instances of child abuse.

“In March, Parliament passed the country’s first anticorruption bills, but there was not yet any record of successful prosecutions under these new laws,” it said.

“According to the World Bank’s worldwide governance indicators, government corruption was a problem,” it added.

The State Department said despite some improvements, Haiti’s human rights record remains “poor”.

It attributed this characterisation to alleged unlawful killings by Haitian National Police officers; ineffective measures to address killings by members of gangs and other armed groups; alleged participation in kidnappings by police; overcrowding and poor sanitation in prisons; arbitrary threats and arrests; prolonged pre-trial detention; and an “inefficient judiciary subject to significant influence by the executive and legislative branches”.

The report said while the Jamaica government generally respects the human rights of its citizens, there were “serious problems” in some areas.

It identified these as “unlawful killings committed by members of the security forces; mob violence against and vigilante killings of those suspected of breaking the law; abuse of detainees and prisoners by police and prison guards; and poor prison and jail conditions”.

The report said other alleged violations include “continued impunity for police who committed crimes, an overburdened judicial system and frequent lengthy delays in trials; violence and discrimination against women; trafficking in persons; and violence against suspected or known homosexuals”.

In St. Kitts/Nevis, the State Department said problems include poor prison conditions, corruption, and violence against women.

“Prisons were overcrowded, and resources remained limited,” it said, pointing out that though the prison on St. Kitts has a capacity intended for 150 prisoners, 182 prisoners were held as of 31 Oct., last year

The State Department said abuse of suspects and prisoners by the police, long delays in trials and sentencing, violence against women, and child abuse are the major allegations in St. Lucia.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the State Department said problems primarily surround “impunity for police who used excessive force, poor prison conditions, an overburdened court system, violence against women, and abuse of children”.

The report said problems in Suriname include police alleged mistreatment of detainees at the time of arrest; abuse of prisoners by guards; overcrowded detention facilities; an overwhelmed judiciary with a large case backlog; and lengthy pre-trial detention.

“While the law prohibits such practices, human rights groups and the media continued to express concern about official mistreatment,” the report said, adding that they documented cases of police mistreatment of detainees, particularly during arrests, and abuse of prisoners by prison officials.

In Trinidad & Tobago, the report highlighted police killings during apprehension or custody, inmate illness and injuries due to poor prison conditions, high-profile cases of alleged bribery, violence against women, inadequate services for vulnerable children, and unsafe working conditions as some of the alleged major human rights violation.

It said while the Patrick Manning administration or “its agents” did not commit any politically motivated killings, 29 people died during the year while in police custody or at the hands of law enforcement authorities.