Amnesty International backs West Kingston Enquiry findings

Human rights group, Amnesty International, has come out in full support of the findings of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry.

In response to the findings of the enquiry, Amnesty said radical culture changes need to be made to the operations of the Jamaican security forces.

The organisation outlined 10 recommendations it believes will help the Government to prevent another tragedy on the scale of the May 2010 Tivoli operation. Among the recommendations is that the Government fully reforms the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Amnesty said it is in agreement with the Commissioners of the West Kingston Enquiry that the fact that the JCF did not acknowledge responsibility for any civilian deaths whatsoever in the operation, is worrying.

The organisation said the JCF’s failure to document instances of human rights violations and civilian deaths during the state of emergency points to an ongoing denial of the need for profound human rights-based reforms in Jamaican policing.

It suggested that a full reform of the police force is needed to ensure that lawmen involved in several police killings are not promoted in the ranks.

The group has also called on the Government to ensure special external oversight of the Mobile Reserve, and to review its internal accountability. It suggested that with the Mobile Reserve being involved in 44 per cent of police killings in Jamaica between January 2015 and March 2016, it seemed obvious that the unit requires special reform and oversight.

The recommendations also involved the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), which Amnesty suggested should again never use mortars in Jamaica.

The organisation said the use of mortars in an urban community is clearly disproportionate to the target, and therefore, contrary to human rights laws.