Amnesty International Report 2003 - Trinidad and Tobago

Amnesty International, Amnesty International Report 2003 - Trinidad and Tobago, -, 28 May 2003, https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/amnesty/2003/en/8965 [accessed 21 September 2024]
LinkedIn

Covering events from January - December 2002

REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Head of state: Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson
Head of government: Patrick Manning
Death penalty: retentionist
International Criminal Court: ratified

Death sentences continued to be imposed but no executions were carried out. Reports of torture and ill-treatment by police persisted and abuses in detention continued to cause grave concern. Prison conditions amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Background

In October elections the People's National Movement won a clear majority in parliament, ending an electoral deadlock. There was a marked increase in crime, with at least 170 people murdered.

Death penalty

At least 80 men and four women were on death row at the end of 2002. No executions were carried out and no death warrants were issued. Courts continued to impose death sentences; at least one woman and six men were sentenced to hang. Defendants facing a mandatory death sentence continued to appear in court without legal representation.

  • In March, Peter Cadette appeared before a magistrate's court charged with the murder of his wife and child, a capital offence, without a lawyer to represent him.
Abuses by police

Torture and ill-treatment by police continued to be reported. At least one person received compensation after filing cases alleging police abuse.
  • In May, 15-year-old schoolboy David Sooklal alleged he was beaten by police officers, causing him to vomit blood. The officers were allegedly attempting to get information about his brother. He was taken into police custody but released shortly after without charge.
  • In July, Kenton Sylvester was awarded TT$220,000 compensation (approximately US$36,000) after being beaten in 1992 by police who mistook him for a member of an armed gang. He suffered two broken arms, eight fractured ribs and liver damage.
  • In November, Edmund Ancil, Bruce Henry and Ashford Ramdhan alleged they were beaten by police officers to force them to confess to a high-profile murder. During a court appearance, the three men detailed their allegations and showed the judge burns allegedly inflicted by police officers with cigarettes and other marks allegedly caused by beatings. The magistrate ordered that the men receive medical treatment. A fourth accused, Irene Ragbir, alleged that she had been denied legal assistance while being questioned by the police.
Abuses in detention

Conditions in places of detention continued to cause grave concern and amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Many prisoners lacked the most basic facilities to ensure hygiene. Some inmates were forced to defecate onto newspaper which then had to be stored in a bucket that was emptied infrequently. There were reports of inmate-on-inmate violence and brutality by prison guards.
  • Death row inmate Damian Ramiah alleged that on 30 July he was taken from his cell to the office of a senior prison officer, where the officer and five other officers beat him with riot batons and electrical cables wrapped with tape. Damian Ramiah alleged he was beaten until he lost consciousness and was then taken to Port of Spain General Hospital with a broken leg, cuts, bruises and lacerations.
  • In August, three prison officers were charged with the 2001 murder of detainee Anton Cooper. The three men remained in custody at the end of the year awaiting trial.
Corporal punishment

In July, Rangee Dolsingh had his appeal against a sentence of 30 strokes of the birch denied. It was not known whether the sentence was carried out.

Prolonged detention without trial

Numerous people were detained awaiting trial for prolonged periods.
  • In November, Fouran Derrick La Fond, who suffers from mental health problems, appeared in court on murder charges. He had been remanded in custody more than 10 years previously. No trial date was set by the end of 2002.
AI country visits

In April an AI delegation met the Prime Minister to discuss concerns about the imposition of the death penalty.

Disclaimer: © Copyright Amnesty International

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.