U.S. JOURNALISTS' ALTERCATION AT DETENTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 000243

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR WBENT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2009
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV CU BF KPAO
SUBJECT: U.S. JOURNALISTS' ALTERCATION AT DETENTION
FACILITY SPARKS REACTION FROM CUBAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Classified By: CDA Brent Hardt, Reasons 1.4 b and d


1. (C) SUMMARY: A Miami-based reporter from Univision
suffered injuries to the head after an altercation February 7
with guards at the Immigration Detention Center in Nassau.
The incident sparked protests at the Bahamian Consulate in
Miami and has prompted several Cuban exile groups to call for
a boycott of tourism to The Bahamas. Multiple violent
incidents have taken place at the Detention Center and Her
Majesty's Prison in recent years. The Bahamian Government
has promised to investigate the attack on the U.S.
journalist, and has requested FBI assistance, suggesting they
are taking the investigation seriously. END SUMMARY.

Univision Journalist Injured in Altercation
--------------


2. (C) A group of Miami-based journalists, including
reporters and camera crews from Univision 23 and Telemundo
51, were involved in an incident that turned violent at the
Carmichael Road Immigration Detention Center in Nassau on
February 7. The journalists had accompanied family members
of the eight surviving Cuban migrants who were detained at
the center after being picked up on Cay Sal Bank in The
Bahamas on February 3 (six additional migrants reportedly
died en route before the group was discovered). When the
Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) guards that provide
security at the Detention Center attempted to forcibly stop
the crews from filming, a scuffle broke out and one reporter,
Mario Vallejo of Univision, suffered cuts and injuries to the
head. Vallejo was discharged after receiving stitches above
his left eye at a local hospital and returned to Miami the
evening of February 7. Several other journalists were taken
to a local police station and released without charge
approximately one hour later. The Embassy was able to able
to verify the welfare and whereabouts of all of the
journalists on February 7. All have returned to Miami.


3. (C) The Bahamian Ministry of Labour and Immigration
called the initial reports "troubling" and promised a full
and thorough investigation. The Bahamian Consul in Miami,
however, has stated she believed the press reports were
erroneous and emphasized that the immigration officials were
"trained to act within the law." In a private conversation
with the Charge d'Affaires, the Permanent Secretary at the
MFA (number-two position in the ministry) also suggested the
initial media reports may not be completely accurate. She
noted that one unconfirmed Bahamian account suggested that
the reporter had "suffered some sort of seizure and fallen
down." The reporter himself in a Miami TV interview said he
was pushed down and his head was forcibly smashed against a
car.

Immediate Response
--------------


4. (C) Ambassador Rood received a written inquiry regarding
the incident from U.S. Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,
Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart via fax on February

7. The letter has been forwarded to Washington for response.
Representative Ros-Lehtinen released the text of the letter
to the Bahamian media and it has garnered wide coverage.


5. (C) Cuban-Americans protested at the Bahamian Consulate
in Miami on February 8 and 9, and a Miami woman was taken
into custody after phoning in a bomb threat to the consulate.
Several Cuban exile groups, including Democracy Movement,
Agenda Cuba and the Cuban Liberty Council, on February 8
called for a boycott of all tourism to The Bahamas. The
Latin Builders Association -- with 750 corporate members --
has reportedly suspended its planned retreat in The Bahamas.


COMMENT: Detention Center a Persistent Problem
-------------- -


6. (C) The February 7 scuffle is the latest in a series of
incidents involving the Detention Center and Her Majesty's
Prison. Detainees complained of abuse and poor treatment in
October 2004, including beatings. After an internal
investigation by the Ministry of Labour and Immigration
reported no mistreatment, a group of detainees caused a
disturbance in December 2004 which injured several guards and
destroyed a dormitory. In 2005 reports of beatings led to
several officers being reassigned from the Detention Center
to other duties.


7. (C) The Detention Center is plagued by a lack of
management and poor morale. Its nominal administrator, Edwin
Culmer, was given the job in 2005 after being de facto fired
from his position running Her Majesty's Prison. He has
publicly complained about having no mandate or instructions
and, according to Detention Center officials, is rarely at
the facility. The RBDF guards working at the Detention
Center often resent the assignment, which they do not see as
rewarding or career-enhancing. The lack of attention and
resources -- the dormitory destroyed more than one year ago
has not been replaced and its charred remains are still on
site -- create a hostile environment which has regularly
bubbled over into violence.

8. (C) The GCOB is feeling mounting pressure from this
incident and its continued detention of two Cuban doctors who
Castro had denied the ability to emigrate in 2002 and who
subsequently were picked up in Bahamian waters fleeing Cuba.
The threat of a tourism boycott has already evoked a
cautionary response from the head of the local hotel
association. The Foreign Minister has assured the Charge
that the Government is taking the incident seriously and will
conduct a thorough investigation. The February 10 request
for FBI assistance suggests the Government intends to follow
through on this commitment.

HARDT