Jamaican police kill one man and abuse others
Thursday, May 20, 2004
LONDON, England: Amnesty International has
issued an urgent alert to its members after police shot dead Robin 'Country'
Anderson on 5 May 2004 in an alleged extrajudicial execution and detained
Curtis Greenwood and Jeffrey James, both from Morgan Lane, Spanish Town.
According to Amnesty, Greenwood and James are currently held without charge in
Spanish Town Police Station and are at risk of ill-treatment and torture.
Other young men from the area have also reportedly been abused in custody, in
an apparent attempt to intimidate the local community.
Eyewitnesses reportedly stated that Robin ‘Country’ Anderson was offering no
resistance when he was killed, but was in bed, holding his hands in the air in
a gesture of surrender.
Police had reportedly arrived at his home at
around 6am. After the shooting, they reportedly removed evidence, washing away
blood and taking away the bloody sheets in a black bag.
Anderson had also received death threats
before he was killed. On April 28, police officers visited the community and
said, “Tell Country he [name of police officer] deh bout and him nuh have long
fi live.” [Tell Country (police officer) is coming and he doesn't have long to
live.] The threat was reported to the Police Public Complaints Authority.
Amnesty International UK Media Director Lesley Warner said, “Once again we see
Jamaica’s police killing in suspicious circumstances, with eyewitnesses
stating that the victim was surrendering as he was shot dead. Once again, we
hear that witnesses are being intimidated.
“There should be no more ‘once agains’. There must be a full and independent
investigation into this and other police killings. Those responsible must be
brought to justice.” In an apparent attempt
to intimidate the community after the shooting of Robin ‘Country’ Anderson,
police reportedly rounded up 20 young men from nearby houses, including Curtis
Greenwood and Jeffrey James.
The others were released in the following
two days. Independent medical reports have confirmed that several of them had
been badly beaten, including an eyewitness to the shooting.
Curtis Greenwood has reportedly been
severely beaten in police custody. He was charged and appeared in court on 11
May, and was granted bail. Police then detained him for questioning on another
matter, which had not been mentioned while he was in custody. Police have
refused to allow either man to see a doctor.
Greenwood's brother, Otis Phillips, was reportedly threatened in March 2004 by
a Senior Superintendent of police from Spanish Town, who allegedly told him he
was on “borrowed time”. On 9 May, members of
the community were reportedly warned that they would be killed if they buried
Robin Anderson. A police officer allegedly said that if the funeral took
place, there would be more bodies than people to bury them. The funeral has
not yet taken place.
Morgan’s Lane is surrounded by ‘garrison
communities’ (urban communities dominated by one of Jamaica's two main
political parties) which are dominated by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP, the
official opposition party). It is understood to have been targeted for some
time by the local One Order gang, which is reported to have affiliations with
the JLP.
The community has complained of threats from
police for some time, and believe that police may be colluding with the gang.
On April 28, police reportedly failed to respond to a request for assistance
after gunmen opened fire on Morgan’s Lane. The threat was reported to the
Police Public Complaints Authority but the authorities reportedly took no
action. Amnesty International has grave
concerns about the numerous unlawful killings committed by the Jamaican
police. It is allegedly very common for officers to threaten both witnesses to
unlawful killings and people who live nearby. Amnesty International has also
received many reports of people seeking justice for the killing of their
relatives being threatened and harassed.
Back...
Most popular
articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed
Printable
version
| 
