The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

AMID allegations of abuse at the Carmichael Road detention centre and a call by United States government officials for an investigation, Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs Hubert Chipman said he may visit the centre today for a “first hand look”.

Although stressing he could not comment on the conditions at the centre as he does not yet know them, the St Anne’s MP said he would like to visit the centre regarding planned renovations by the government, which he says are not provided for in the 2013/2014 budget.

“I would prefer not to

comment on the detention centre until I know the conditions. I don’t know the conditions so I cannot speak from a level of authority,” he said.

“I need to go down there – and I may go down there as early as tomorrow (Monday) because I’m hearing a lot of things about the detention centre,” Mr Chipman said yesterday.

Mr Chipman added: “I’m going to try to go in tomorrow because I’m hearing the stories of what exists down there. I also heard in the House of Assembly, where the minister was actually talking about there’s going to be some renovations... They are supposed to be upgrading the detention centre, but I don’t see where the expenditure is coming from. I want a first hand look at it.”

Last week a video aired by America Teve, which purported to show Cuban nationals being abused by a Bahamian guard was debunked by Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell. FNM party chairman Darron Cash also dismissed the credibility of the video, as did Mr Chipman, yesterday.

He said: “I spoke to the Minister regarding the video, which we all agree right now was a hoax.”

But, despite the Bahamas government’s denial of the claims, Republican congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart charged last week that harassment and beatings of Cuban detainees in the Bahamas was a long standing human rights issue that has gone “unabated”.

They called on the United Nations to investigate allegations of abuse of Cuban nationals at the detention centre.

Mr Chipman said yesterday: “I think there is some credibility there in the sense that I believe as a result of the video, the Americans will probably be motivated to see what’s going on – even though in my mind, and probably everybody else’s mind, based on what we have seen from the video, it’s clearly probably not the detention centre.”

The video entitled “Exclusiva: golpiza contra cubanos en centro de detención de Bahamas” – translated as “Exclusive: Cuban beating at detention centre in Bahamas” – was also posted to YouTube.

According to The Miami Herald, supporters were asked to honk their car and truck horns as they drove past the Bahamian consulate in down-town Miami. It is unclear whether or not supporters demonstrated outside the consulate as calls placed to the office were not returned.

However, protests were acknowledged by Prime Minister Perry Christie, who advised that the government plans to rebuild the centre to address issues of overcrowding. He added that the government would continue to protect the country’s borders.

For his part, Mr Mitchell said a full investigation has been launched by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force; but based on observations made by the RBDF, Mr Mitchell said that the accent of alleged abusers was not Bahamian; the rooms shown did not match the Detention Centre; and no faces were shown.

“This appears to be a manufactured attempt to create a damaging and defamatory impression of The Bahamas. The television station ought to be ashamed of itself for publishing something which is so patently false. It is irresponsible of them to publish it knowing the passions that these matters can inflame,” he said.

Mr Mitchell had also said: “The video is a complete fiction and an utter fabrication. I have no comment on the views of US Congress people.”