Caribbean Net News reporter threatened by Grenada PM
Thursday, May 27, 2004
ST GEORGE‘S, Grenada: The already troubled
relations between the Keith Mitchell-led administration and the media in
Grenada took a turn for the worse Tuesday afternoon when Caribbean Net News
contributor Leroy Noel was threatened by the Prime Minister in full public
view. Mitchell reportedly said to Noel, "I
have it coming for you, you will soon find out’”
It is unclear what the Prime Minister has “coming for” Mr Noel but, since
Mitchell is also the Minister of National Security and has the coercive arm of
the state at his disposal, Noel immediately contacted his legal
representatives who advised him to make a report to the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID), which he did. All this
happened in the full view and hearing of another journalist who was standing
at Noel’s side, and he too has since given a statement to the police.
“I was taken by surprise when the holder of the office of Prime Minister would
meet me outside the magistrate court, where he was going to give evidence in a
matter involving the editor of Grenada Today newspaper, and utter those
statements,” Noel said. In related
developments, Odette Campbell, the News Director of the Grenada Broadcasting
Network, in which the government has 40% share, has been suspended for
participating in a walkout from a press conference conducted by the Minister
for Tourism. The secretary of the Media Workers Association of Grenada, Rae
Roberts, has also been issued a strongly worded letter after he appeared on a
television program with the editor of a local newspaper where he spoke about a
threatening letter issued to the media recently.
Only on Sunday a team of reporters were verbally abused at a General Council
of the ruling party, with an executive member informing them that their
security is at risk. These events were
precipitated by a report by a Miami-based finance newsletter that the Prime
Minister of Grenada received a briefcase containing US$500,000 from a German
fraudster who at the time was a holder of a Grenadian diplomatic passport.
This claim was subsequently denied by the Prime Minister who said he only
received approximately US$15,000 and he received no briefcase at all, but
refused to say how he received the money.
Meanwhile, several regional and international media organisations are briefed
on the situation currently faced by journalists in Grenada.
Back...
Most popular
articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed
Printable
version
| 
