GOMES and PANTRYDr. Carolyn Gomes, Contributor
The personalisation of the discussion which has taken place around the issues raised by the Michael Gayle case is unfortunate because it detracts from the facts of the case which are after all not about myself or Mr. Pantry.
The facts are that Michael Gayle was beaten until his stomach ruptured by a combined police/military party, that he died two days later, that to this day no one has been charged or held responsible in any way for the assault, or for aiding and abetting the assault, or for failing to do their duty to prevent the assault, or even for failing to do their duty to arrest and charge the perpetrators who committed the offence in the presence of police officers.
issues to be addressed
It is the issues that need to be addressed, issues of lack of accountability at all levels of the security and justice system, issues of respect for the dignity, humanity and rights of each and every Jamaican citizen, issues of how to bring meaningful action to bear on our increasing crime rate and the increasingly ineffectual justice system.
Suffice it to say, in response to the attack by the DPP, that it is the DPP who is on tape as saying to the Optimist Club that "If [the men] were already identified when I examined the file and when it was sent to the commission" and this is one of the errors in his speech that we sought to correct in our statement.
Suffice it also to say that we reiterate our claim that "more than one member of the security forces who testified at the coroner's inquest identified specific soldiers or policemen as having participated in the beating". They identified some by name, some by rank and some by emblems on their uniforms. Information on which policemen and soldiers were present at the barrier during the beating that night is a matter of public record and the depositions from the coroner's inquest are available in our offices for those who wish to see.
It is not the place of Jamaicans For Justice, or the Inter American Commission on Human Rights to tell the DPP which is the most appropriate charge to lay on which specific person.
We are, however, well within our rights to say, based on the evidence which we have heard and seen, that he has more than sufficient evidence (and is in a position to get more) to lay charges, and to insist on accountability for the horrific beating by state agents that resulted in the death of Michael Gayle. In fact it is the duty of his office to do so.
We hope that the tone of the dialogue will improve and that the issues will be addressed.
Dr. Carolyn Gomes is
executive director of
Jamaicans for Justice.
