A group of Cubans seeking asylum in Jamaica may spend Christmas incarcerated this year.
The group, which arrived in the island on September 20, is being held at the Horizon Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road, pending a decision on their application for asylum.
The 11 men and two women on whose behalf the Independent Jamaica council for Human Rights (IJCHR) has been lobbying, complained about the length of time they have been remanded and the conditions under which they have been incarcerated.
According to Nancy Anderson, legal officer at the IJCHR, the council has presented a viable alternative for the Cubans, as there are Jamaicans who will be willing to house the asylum seekers at no cost to the Government, pending the determination of their applica-tions. "This is not the way to treat people who are seeking asylum, especially at this time of the year," she argued.
- Y.S.
