Dear Editor,
These are the comments attributed to Justice Velma Hylton as she participated in the 2001 public inquiry into a similar confrontation between civilians and the security forces in West Kingston which resulted in the deaths of 25 civilians: "If the police and the rest of the security forces had not taken action to repel force with force that day, I say again, at this point in time, we may still have been shovelling up pieces of bodies in West Kingston... In my respectful submission, if the women and children deliberately put themselves between the law and order forces...to enable those gunmen behind them to fire at the security forces and to fire at civilians, I for one do not understand why, in all circumstances, they cannot return the fire...."
In my opinion, these comments are unfortunate for one tasked with making an impartial return on the deliberations at the time. These comments reflect a callous view on not only the lives of those lost, but on one of the basic human rights rules that govern the conduct of members of the security forces anywhere in the free world in their engagements with citizens.
Basic human rights principles place the security forces at a plain way above the criminals they have to face and requires that they not be judge, jury and executioners at the same time.
Views such as quoted should automatically disqualify Justice Hylton from participation in the upcoming Tivoli inquiry and make one question the Government's position with respect to her appointment, as her very presence taints any findings that may be made even before a single witness is called.
Madam Prime Minister, please correct this in the interest of justice for all Jamaicans.
Richard Blackford
richardhblackford@gmail.com
What's in a statement?
-->
These are the comments attributed to Justice Velma Hylton as she participated in the 2001 public inquiry into a similar confrontation between civilians and the security forces in West Kingston which resulted in the deaths of 25 civilians: "If the police and the rest of the security forces had not taken action to repel force with force that day, I say again, at this point in time, we may still have been shovelling up pieces of bodies in West Kingston... In my respectful submission, if the women and children deliberately put themselves between the law and order forces...to enable those gunmen behind them to fire at the security forces and to fire at civilians, I for one do not understand why, in all circumstances, they cannot return the fire...."
In my opinion, these comments are unfortunate for one tasked with making an impartial return on the deliberations at the time. These comments reflect a callous view on not only the lives of those lost, but on one of the basic human rights rules that govern the conduct of members of the security forces anywhere in the free world in their engagements with citizens.
Basic human rights principles place the security forces at a plain way above the criminals they have to face and requires that they not be judge, jury and executioners at the same time.
Views such as quoted should automatically disqualify Justice Hylton from participation in the upcoming Tivoli inquiry and make one question the Government's position with respect to her appointment, as her very presence taints any findings that may be made even before a single witness is called.
Madam Prime Minister, please correct this in the interest of justice for all Jamaicans.
Richard Blackford
richardhblackford@gmail.com
What's in a statement?
-->