Holness slams claims that human rights not being respected in Jamaica

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that Jamaica does not need to be told to respect the human rights of its citizens, as this is paramount to members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

"In the transformation of the JCF, every officer here will tell you that in their training, in all their development courses, respect for citizens' rights, respect for human rights, is paramount, including in our operations, including in our equipping of the force, in the use of force, in every aspect of it, and I urge the JCF to continue on this path to show the world that we don't need to be told to respect human rights; that is something that is ingrained in us," said Holness.

He was addressing a retirement function on Friday for Deputy Commissioner in charge of the police's crime and security portfolio, Fitz Bailey.

Holness was seemingly responding to a statement on Thursday from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), in which it expressed "concern over Jamaica's continued use of states of public emergency (SOEs)".

The IACHR called on the Jamaican Government "to ensure that measures used to prevent and combat crime are implemented in accordance with international human rights standards."

The commission said it took note that the Jamaican Government imposed an SOE for the parish of Clarendon on August 14 after a mass shooting in Cherry Tree Lane in the parish, which resulted in the deaths of eight persons.

IACHR said under the Jamaican Constitution, during an SOE, "the Government temporarily grants security forces additional powers, including warrantless searches, arrest and detention."

The commission added that under the organs of the Inter-American System of Human Rights, "the suspension of guarantees is a provision that can be implemented in the extraordinary circumstances indicated in Article 27 of the American Convention, such as war, public danger, or another emergency that threatens a state's independence or security."

On that score, the IACHR said: "The state of Jamaica must abide by the international obligations it has assumed, which establish requirements and limits for adopting such exceptional mechanisms for suspending the rights and guarantees protected by the convention.

"The IACHR urges that these measures should not be made part of the country's permanent security policy," it advised.

But in firing back at such statements on the Government's crime fighting methods, Holness said what is missing in the conversation is "the respect for the rights of the victims".

Added the prime minister on that point: "No one speaks about the rights of the victims, (and) those families who have lost loved ones.

"No international agency is coming to say, ‘Protect the innocent!’" Holness stated.

Those stern remarks were met with applauses from members of the audience.

The prime minister said when crime rates or any other issues surpass manageable levels in developed nations, their governments often invoke extraordinary measures to address the issues, without facing criticism from the international community.

Similarly, he said his Administration initially used what he described as "extraordinary powers" to bring the crime situation within the capacity of the JCF to manage, which is what all developed countries do.

"We have a situation here that for many years, it (crime) has been over and above our investigative capacity, over and above our transport capacity, over and above the ability to put boots on the ground in the challenged communities," Holness indicated.

He said over the last eight years, however, the Government has built out the capacity of the JCF.

"And so, we don't rely on SOEs anymore, because we are building capacity, and you would have seen that in the last three years, the number of gang cases that we would have brought to courts, and the number of gangs that we have disrupted and dismantled, were more than in the last 30 years," Holness asserted.

Added to that point, he said major crimes are down by 20 per cent so far this year, with murders trending downwards as well.

"So, I want Jamaicans to understand that your Government is acting in your best interest, and that those who don't understand what is happening in Jamaica should get the right information before they speak, and support the Government of Jamaica in ensuring that our citizens are safe, and we will not relent against the criminals," Holness stated.

The IACHR is the latest of several groups and organisations which have criticised the Government's use of SOEs.

Local human rights lobby group, Jamaicans for Justice, and the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) have been among the loudest voices against the use of that emergency security measure locally.