The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

MIAMI-based Cuban exile group The Democracy Movement remain firm in their resolve to stage a ‘silent protest’ outside the Bahamas Consulate office in Miami today.

In the wake of calls for the Bahamas government to “thoroughly” investigate a Cuban detainee’s claims she was sexually abused in the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, group leader Ramon Sanchez said his organisation hope to make a symbolic statement.

“We are doing it in this way because they are saying that [victim] should have reported it, well she tried when she was in there, but couldn’t. Now she has been deported to Cuba,” Mr Sanchez said.

“We are monitoring this very closely, waiting for this report to be released,” he added.

The woman claims to have become pregnant after being sexually assaulted by a Royal Bahamas Defence Force officer on duty at the centre.
RBDF officials told The Tribune the claims were not for them to investigate. They said that the Department of Immigration would have to investigate.

But Immigration Director William Pratt said there is nothing his department can do because the victim did not report the alleged attack.

Following Dr Bernard Nottage’s failure to fulfil his promise and release details of the investigation into claims of abuse at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre early this week,

Prime Minister Perry Christie assured the press an announcement will come soon.

It remains unclear when the record will officially be set straight, with Mr Christie failing to give a definite time frame for results to be released.