Buchanan chides Chuck over ‘no human rights problem’ claim

Opposition Spokesman on Youth and Human Rights, Isat Buchanan, has directly challenged Justice Minister Delroy Chuck's assertion that Jamaica is free from human rights issues. Chuck had previously stated that anyone claiming a need for justice in Jamaica should have their "head examined." Buchanan argued that such a claim is unfounded and contradicts evidence from independent and international monitors.

“

I say this without relish: the minister who holds both justice and the constitution in his charge ought to be the last in this House to pronounce a nation’s rights beyond reproach.

During his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, Buchanan pointed to the United States State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Jamaica. He highlighted the report's findings of credible reports concerning arbitrary and unlawful killings, as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions. Buchanan noted that the government has not consistently taken credible steps to identify and punish responsible officials. He cited statistics showing 111 fatalities involving security forces as of early September last year, an increase from the previous year, and 709 complaints of police abuse filed with the Independent Commission of Investigations in the same period.

“

The claim does not survive contact with the evidence, and not the Opposition’s evidence, but the sober findings of independent and international monitors.

"These are not the statistics of a country with no human rights problems," Buchanan declared, emphasizing the severity of the issues. He further detailed the report's findings on the conditions within correctional facilities, describing lock-ups intended for 48-hour holding periods instead keeping individuals for weeks, months, or even years without charge. Some detainees are held without any paperwork, making it impossible to ascertain why they were taken into custody. The report also noted over a hundred individuals with mental illness found unfit to plead are held indefinitely without trial or release.

“

It records credible reports of arbitrary and unlawful killings and of arbitrary arrest and detention, and it finds that the Government did not always take credible steps to identify and punish the officials responsible.

Buchanan also drew attention to the severe overcrowding in Jamaica's oldest correctional facilities, built in 1714 and 1845, which are reportedly holding up to three times their intended capacity. Previous reports have described the conditions in these facilities as harsh and life-threatening. In response to Minister Chuck's remarks, Buchanan questioned whether the minister, who oversees justice and constitutional affairs, is the one who truly needs examination, given the evidence presented.

“

these are not the statistics of a country with no human rights problems