D.K. Duncan TAMAYO WILSON was killed on March 14, 2001. His father, Leonard Wilson, migrated months ago after putting up a valiant fight for justice on behalf of his son and six other young men who were also killed.
Leonard, a former organiser with the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU) was not in the island last week when the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice read a prepared statement. I suspect that Mrs. Yvonne McCalla Sobers, the convenor of Families Against State Terrorism (FAST) sent him a copy.
THE STATEMENT
The Permanent Secretary, Carol Palmer, read the statement on behalf of the Attorney General of Jamaica. The A.G. wrote "there have been a number of unfortunate incidents in which citizens have been injured or killed through the conduct of State agents. And in this regard, the most regrettable incidents involving Agana Barrett, Ian Forbes and Vassel Brown, the Braeton Seven, and Michael Gayle come to mind".
The occasion for the statement was a workshop sponsored by the Human Rights Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Held in Kingston last week, participants included representatives from the United Nations and the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The Minister was absent due to illness.
THE FAMILIES
The families and friends of the seven young men who were killed "through the conduct of State agents" in Braeton on March 14, 2001 will at the very least feel that their struggles for justice have SO FAR not been entirely in vain.
THE LOBBY GROUPS
The Human Rights Groups - FAST, Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) and the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights (IJCHR) - have every right to feel "a little encouraged" by the statement. Yvonne McCalla Sobers (FAST) - Carolyn Gomes, Susan Goffe, Elizabeth Hall (JFJ) - Nancy Anderson and Lloyd Barnett of IJCHR - deserve the support of increasing numbers of the Jamaican people as they continue to lead the fight for human rights and justice. Amnesty International (AI) must feel a sense of accomplishment. Piers Bannister and his team, often reviled by the Jamaican Government, should feel justified for sticking to their principles.
THE MEDIA
Those elements in the print and the electronic media - in particular, the Talk Show hosts and columnists who maintained public scrutiny of many of these "regrettable incidents" must be commended. They can feel a sense of professional pride that they elevated these "unfortunate incidents" to a level where public opinion could assist in eliciting this statement from the Minister. Talk Show host Wilmot Perkins continues to play a seminal role in raising the consciousness of people around these issues.
THE JAMAICAN PEOPLE
Those Jamaican people who had the courage to support the Human Rights Groups must also take some credit - whether through their attendance at public demonstrations, seminars or public meetings, letters to the media, e-mail or financial support. Those who misunderstand the motives of these groups who were opposed to actions where "citizens have been injured or killed through the conduct of state agents" have an opportunity to re-examine their positions.
THE MINISTER
Attorney General A.J. Nicholson must be recognised for coming to some obvious conclusions, even at this eleventh hour. It is to be noted that the "unfortunate and regrettable incidents" mentioned by the Minister in his prepared text were only those that "come to mind". Bearing in mind his recognition that it is important to "keep the lines of communication open" a simple request to the JFJ can refresh his memory of many other incidents. He should need no reminders of the public's expectation of speedy action in relation to the "regrettable incidents" of Crawle in Clarendon and Flankers in St. James.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES
The Minister also applauded the local Human Rights Groups for "prodding" the Government "to ensure that in carrying out its activities the protection of Human Rights remains at the forefront". This is putting it mildly. The kind of resistance that these groups - including the media - have had to face, the torrents of abuse they have had to endure would have silenced lesser mortals.
The struggle for an independent pathologist, the right to note-taking at coroner's inquests, the proper protection of crime scenes, the implementation of independent investigations of "conduct of State agents" - are just a few of the "proddings" that come to mind.
Those of us who voted for Tamayo Wilson on October 16, 2002 can feel vindicated and long for the day when a Minister of Justice does not have to wait ten years to recognise injustice "when citizens are injured or killed through the conduct of State agents". One Love, One Heart.
A dental surgeon, Dr. D.K. Duncan is a former General Secretary and Cabinet Minister in the PNP Administration of the 1970s.
