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NEWS
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
Olivia Streater
Campaigner
Caribbean and North America Team
Amnesty International
International Secretariat
1 Easton Street
London WC1X 0DW
T (44) 20 7413 5764
F (44) 20 7956 1157
E ostreate@amnesty.org
AI Index: AMR 14/002/2004 (Public)
News Service No: 319
10 December 2004
The Bahamas: Amnesty International calls for a commission of inquiry
into conditions at the Carmichael Detention Centre Reports of possible
use of excessive force by law enforcement officials during a fire and
confrontation at the Carmichael Detention Centre yesterday, in which 9
detainees and 11 soldiers were injured, underlines the need for the
Government of the Bahamas to establish an independent commission of
inquiry into conditions at the Carmichael Detention Centre, said Amnesty
International today.
Amnesty International has received reports that some detainees are
alleging that several people, including women and children, were
severely beaten with batons and that police prevented detainees from
leaving the facility once the fire started. The authorities have stated
that soldiers fired rubber rounds to restore order after detainees tried
to secure and subsequently set fire to a room. A newspaper also
published an unconfirmed report that one man sustained a gunshot wound.
The action reportedly followed what appeared to be attempts by
immigration staff and soldiers to remove Cuban detainees for
deportation.
"The inquiry must be able to make recommendations, arising from its
findings, on how the organization of immigration detention conditions
could be changed or improved," Amnesty International said.
The organization also urged both the Government and the United Nations
High Commission for Refugees to ensure, in their response to yesterday's
incident, the full protection of asylum-seekers from forcible return and
discrimination.
Background Information On 8 December the Minister of Labour and
Immigration presented a report to Parliament, following an investigation
into several allegations of ill-treatment at the Carmichael Detention
Centre raised by Amnesty International and other organizations.
The report, while welcome, failed to address serious issues, including
the indefinite detention of children. Amnesty International will be
providing the Government with a formal response to the report and is
seeking more information on the remit of the police investigation, amid
concerns includingwitness protection and availability.
In 2002, Amnesty International recommended that the Government establish
a multi-disciplinary Inspectorate Body, independent of Government, with
the power to undertake regular visits to the Carmichael Immigrant
Detention Centre with a view to hearing detainee grievances and issuing
public reports and recommendations. The body should be granted full and
independent access to detainees. Other recommendations included
extending an invitation to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
to visit and report on arbitrary detention in the Bahamas and ensuring
detention policies and practices comply with international standards.
The Carmichael Detention Centre houses foreign nationals alleged by the
authorities to have breached immigration laws, including asylum-seekers.
Public Document
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For more information please call Amnesty International's press
office in
London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web:
http://www.amnesty.org
For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org
Sent to the Information Bridge Cuba Miami and Net For Cuba International
by Amnesty International on the 13th day of December, 2004.
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