JAMAICA: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RELEASES CONDEMNATORY REPORT

UNCLAS KINGSTON 000292

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR (JOE TILGHMAN)
INL/LP (NATALIA BOZZOLO)
DEPT OF JUSTICE (ROBERT LIPPMAN)
TREASURY FOR SARA GRAY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL ELAB SOCI KCRM JM XL

SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RELEASES CONDEMNATORY REPORT
ON PUBLIC SECURITY CRISIS, BUT SEES "NEW HOPE" WITH NEW GOVERNMENT

REF: A: KINGSTON 228
B: 07 KINGSTON 1681
C: 07 KINGSTON 1805
D: 07 KINGSTON 1813

Summary
--------------


1. (U) "Let them kill each other: Public security in Jamaica's inner
cities," is the title of a comprehensive report on public security
released by Amnesty International during a press conference on April

2. The 50 page report is the result of research and interviews
conducted in Jamaica from December 2006 to October 2007. On April
3, representatives from Amnesty International met with the Pol/Econ
Section of Embassy Kingston to discuss the report and the Government
of Jamaica (GoJ)'s response. Amnesty perceives a "golden window of
opportunity", of about 18 months, for the new government to make an
impact on the public security in Jamaica before things once again
begin to deteriorate. (Comment: Post shares this assessment. End
Comment.)

Key Findings of the Report
--------------


2. (U) The report cites a "lack of political will" as being the
primary obstacle in reforming the public security of the inner
cities. A high murder rate for many years, an increase in police
killings, corruption in law enforcement, and a broken judicial
system are the areas of most concern. However, Amnesty mentions
that over the last 20 years the GoJ has conducted several studies of
crime and garrison violence, so the problems are well known; yet,
there has never been a concerted effort to act and make the
difficult decisions necessary to make improvements in the inner city
environments, as well as meaningful reform of the JCF.


3. (U) According to the report, the principal victims of violent
crime in Jamaica are living in extremely poor overcrowded ghettos or
garrison communities. Between 30 and 45 percent of the population
of the Kingston Metropolitan Area live in these communities. It is
in these so-called garrison communities that political violence
merges with harsh living conditions, thus creating the problems
detailed in the report. When interviewed, residents of these
communities complained about lack of jobs, lack of job training,
lack of access to education, and substandard housing.

Political Roots of Violence
--------------


4. (U) Political violence always has been a feature of Jamaican
party politics. Since independence in 1962, two political parties
have dominated the scene: the current-ruling Jamaica Labour Party
(JLP) and the now-opposition People's National Party (PNP). Street
violence and organized gangs have been regular features of the
political process. The situation took a turn for the worse during
the turbulent 70s, when sticks and stones were replaced with
semi-automatic weapons.


5. (U) The report focuses on the garrison communities and their
control by gangs and gang leaders. According to the report,
"A garrison, as the name suggests, is a political stronghold, a
veritable fortress completely controlled by a party. At one level a
garrison community can be described as one in which anyone who seeks
to oppose, raise opposition to or organize against the dominant
party would definitely be in danger of suffering serious damage to
their possessions or person thus making continued residence in the
area extremely difficult if not impossible. Any significant social,
political, economic or cultural development within the garrison can
only take place with the tacit approval of the leadership (whether
local or national) of the dominant party."


6. (U) This garrison phenomenon creates high levels of violence in
the communities, and adjacent communities also suffer because of
confrontations between rival gangs. The Amnesty report also notes
that political violence in Jamaica reached its peak during the 1980
elections, when around 800 people were killed in clashes between
rival groups. The report does note that the recent national
election of 2007 did not see as much political violence as many had
predicted. This was a relief given the violent history of Jamaican
elections and the closeness of the race.

Poverty and the Links to Violence
--------------


7. (SBU) Fernanda Daz Costa of Amnesty International summarized the
report saying that their study shows a strong link between poverty
in the inner cities and a propensity for crime. She said that many

years of neglect of the inner cities, and garrison communities, by
the GoJ had created a crisis of public security and a power vacuum
filled by gang leaders and drug dons. Many of these garrison
residents feel trapped, too poor to move out, and threatened by both
police and criminal elements in their communities.


8. (U) The report gives many first-hand accounts, the results of
interviews conducted in the garrison communities by Amnesty. The
report details many incidents of police violence and police
killings, most of which have appeared in the local media as well
(Ref A). The report also cites the high murder rates and recognizes
the struggles and challenges faced by the Jamaica Constabulary Force
(JCF) as they are confronted with violence and attempts on their
lives on an almost daily basis.

Failures of the GoJ
--------------


9. (U) Amnesty devotes an entire chapter to the failure to provide
security. The introduction to the fourth chapter states,
"The Jamaican state has an obligation to respect, protect and
fulfill the human rights to life, integrity and dignity of all
people living under its jurisdiction. International human rights
law requires that the authorities not abuse their powers and
actively protect people's rights."


10. (U) The report also lists the failures of the government and how
these lead to the poor people being denied security by the state.
It also delineates the lack of public confidence in law enforcement;
and the insufficient progress in reforming the JCF. Other
highlights include the excessive force used by the police and the
lack of accountability in cases of potential abuse by the police in
carrying out their duties. Perhaps the biggest concern noted in
this chapter is the lack of a comprehensive security policy.

Stories of Hope
--------------


11. (U) Amnesty balances the negatives with a chapter dedicated to
the new hope that has been created by the recently elected JLP-led
government as they attempt to address security issues (Ref B, C, D).
This section also lists many successful small initiatives and grass
roots organizations that are having a positive effect in some
communities. One of these is the Peace Management Initiative (PMI)
created in 2002, comprised of a group of 12 individuals from civil
society and the two main political parties. Its mandate is "to head
off or defuse explosions of violence in the Kingston Metropolitan
Area and nearby parts of the adjoining parish of St Catherine."
According to the report, PMI is completely independent from the
government, but does receive some funding from the Ministry of
National Security (MNS).

Conclusions from the Report
--------------


12. (U) Amnesty calls on the Jamaican government to create a
comprehensive public security plan for the protection of human
rights to include the following priorities:

-- The immediate implementation of a program to reduce and prevent
homicides and police killings in inner-cities;

-- The immediate reduction of excessive force by the JCF;

-- Reforms to the JCF to create a police force that is
representative, responsive and accountable to all the community and
respectful of human rights;

-- Combating corruption;

-- Effective retraining of the police in the legitimate use of force
and alternatives to the use of firearms according to international
and national standards;

-- A plan to combat root causes of violence, in particular
disparities and discrimination in the access to economic, social and
cultural rights;

-- Strategies to combat stigmatization and discrimination against
inner-city communities;

-- Reinforcing initiatives such as the Peace Management Initiative;


--Reporting publicly on a yearly basis on progress in
implementation.


Response from GoJ
--------------


13. (SBU) Whereas most past government officials in Jamaica have
taken a very defensive posture in response to similar reports, Prime
Minister Bruce Golding (PM Golding) spoke freely in the media about
Amnesty's most recent report. He admitted that many of its
conclusions and statements were true. Golding also agreed that
corruption and unprofessional behavior by the JCF are a recognized
problem. However, he was quick to point out some of the current
proposals his new government has announced in response to issues of
law and order and corruption; among these are a special prosecutor
to deal with corruption and a new independent body for police
accountability (Ref C, D).


14. (U) The representatives from Amnesty International were
encouraged by the initial response from the GoJ, and said they
believed PM Golding is trying to engage on the key issues. Amnesty
perceives a "golden window of opportunity", of about 18 months, for
the new government to make an impact on the public security in
Jamaica before things once again begin to deteriorate. (Comment:
Post shares this assessment. End Comment.) While the GoJ is sending
the right signals initially, the initiatives need to be pursued
vigorously over the long haul.

WEHRLI