FNM Deputy Chairman Dr Duane Sands has questioned whether any of the recent Cuban nationals who have been repatriated to their home country were either witnesses to, or victims themselves of the reported physical abuse at the Detention Centre that took place on May 20.
On Wednesday night, the Department of Immigration announced that they had successfully repatriated eight Cubans back to Havana, Cuba. Six days earlier, an additional 24 Cubans were also repatriated.
Calling it “peculiar” that there now appears to be a “sudden emergency” that requires the urgent repatriation of Cuban detainees, Dr Sands said he found this recent rush worrisome given the local, national, and international concerns that have been raised at the Carmichael Road facility.
“If the Bahamas believes in transparency then an open government would be open to any person going to any country and telling them about what happened to them. But when a refugee is sent back to a country that has dubious freedom and rights, then the stellar reputation of the Bahamas cannot be extolled.
“But if there is a reason why their story cannot be told, then Cuba would be the ideal country for them to go,” Dr Sands said.
With the FNM having sounded the alarm over this matter and calling for the termination of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, Dr Sands said the party was called to champion this matter for a number of reasons.
“Certainly this is very much about the rights of refugees, but also the rights of every person in the Bahamas. If there has been an incident whereby an incarcerated person is subjected to less than humane treatment, we would be concerned – not only about the individual – but also about the sons and daughters of everyday Bahamians.
“The Royal Bahamas Defence Force does an amazing job under very difficult circumstances and yet there has been some questions. But we want a Bahamas where these types of things never happen. It is going to demand Bahamians to understand that any injustice done to any one individual is done to us all.”
Dr Sands also pointed out that Minister Mitchell should realize the delicate nature of this Cuban abuse case and as such should have consulted his counterparts in the Opposition for their advice or support.
“Instead what we have is a cowboy of a Minister who, at least based on everything that has been seen to happen recently, has the sole decision making policy for Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas. We have seen no response from the Prime Minister, all we’ve seen is a dismissive response from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
Dr Sands said the FNM still believes that Mr Mitchell should be dismissed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs as there is no question that when dealing with sovereign concerns, “we cannot afford to leave it to the whims and fancies and biases, and indiscretions of individuals who may have a leaning that is not consistent to the majority of Bahamians.”
Comments
proudloudandfnm 10 years, 8 months ago
Man the FNM is wrong. I agree with Branville we need to approach this united, the FNM should have dealt with this quietly rather than make these public statements.
Sanchez has yet to declare the video a reenactment, he still maintains it is an actual recording of Bahamian guards beating Cubans. He has been lying since day one and probably collecting millions in donations as a result of the fake video.
This is a time for us to act as one not to be campaigning. The FNM made a mistake. Today we still have no proof of any abuse at the detention center yet Sands makes this statement? Sorry but that is just wrong.
banker 10 years, 8 months ago
The entire cabinet was told behind closed doors that in fact the detainees were beaten. It was reported to the FNM by the wife of a person who was in the cabinet room.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
@proudloud if Bahamains "may" have been beaten in a U/S institution would you want the repubs/dems to unite to perhaps hide it ,,,we know police beat people ,what did our Defence force not come from us ? our teenagers have extremely poor conflict resolution ,think about guards dealing w/ difficult detainees that escaped ,,,,from our child rearing to man/women relationships to law enforcement as a society we use violence as discipline and conflict resolution ,,
TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago
My how the once mighty Red Shirts have become an even bigger train wreck than when the party was under the "Cooper's Town Fisherman" Hubert. At least Hubert had a government to mess-up. Now, even a second Abacoian wants nothing to do with this train wreck bunch. God Bless you Edison.
by TalRussell
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 8 months ago
The expedited fashion in which the detainees were shipped off is just plain weird no matter where you fall in the debate.
hotep86 10 years, 8 months ago
Expedited? They were there for MONTHS. They were also repatriated 3 months after the allegations came about, let's not forget this fiasco started from the beginning of the summer.
TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago
Comrade Hotep86 three months is about the time Minnis has left as the red shirts leader. The reds are now singing an whole different political tune than before.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 8 months ago
Yes that's exactly what I meant Hope...I should have expanded...they were here for months...this situation starts blowing up and poof they're gone. I also realize that a process could have been ongoing to repatriate them and its just a mere coincidence that the process completed right before Amnesty International could interview them...
tonymontana 10 years, 8 months ago
We love to cover our dirty linen , and call it chair covering . When we were a nation for sale and drugs and the moneys accompanying it was the order of the day , men of the cloth shouted that principles dont put bread on our tables .We to love to hide the bad , call it for what it is . it seems as thou morality and nationalistic attitudes only come about when certain parties govern us . Were was our national fervor when the posters of the murder count was placed on major thoroughfares throughout the island ? In fact the now DPM called it suppressing the truth , are we now about suppressing the truth ? The minster told a brave bold face lie stating that no cubans were abused at the center . He needs to resign. He could have said from the minute the reports came out, that we dont condone such actions and if such a thing did occur we will prosecute those involved. That would have been the end of that .
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
good post
spoitier 10 years, 8 months ago
The FNM and PLP both doesn't really care about the Bahamas, that is why both would would go all in just to win the election. It is good what Bran is saying, he could get on the good side of Bahamians by next election if these type of foolishness keep going on.
TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago
Why Comrade Duane would want to get mixed up in this red shirts "confusion" is far below his intelligence. What has changed since his own reds made the following statements? Minister Freddy has clearly stated that the video is a fake and so has senior members of the red shirts.
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. “I spoke to the Minister regarding the video, which we all agree right now was a hoax.”
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
we all know the video was a fake ,but were detainees beaten??..from our child rearing to our man/women relationships to our law enforcement we use violence as a form of conflict resolution and discipline ,,,,we all know it ,,,so is it so strange that difficult detainees could of got the living daylights beat out of them ..
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
i was bad in my younger days ,,i was arrested 6 times and never resisted ,i was beaten 3 of those times to "pay out " or snitch,,,geez one of our own just beat a two yr old to death w/ a frying pan ,,sit under t he tree w/ the boys in an inner city setting and see how many think its perfectly alright to beat a women ,,come on man ,do you read the paper we have become a violent people that use physical force for conflict resolution ,,,,
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
actually our crime and murder rate per capita is a lot higher then the U/S ,but your right sh#t happens in the U/S ,,but we are taking about here ,,once when i was picked up and rode in the police van all night ,there was a festival on bay street ,,all night the police jumped out on young men beat the living shit out of them w/ long thorny switches and told them get there ass back over the hill ,,imagine some cubans ,the RBDF are not tibetan monks ,there us
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
actually the U/S murder rate is 4 per 100,000 ,ours is 26 per 100,000 ,,sure detriot and places are higher ,but so is nassau village compared to eastern road ,,as a country our murder rate is 61/2 times higher than the U/S ,,Crime is not a problem any gov ,can solve when u have a 75% illegitimacy rate ..look at the danish countries that average 2 kids for married/unmarried but father involved ,,murder rates below 1 per 100,000 ,,the norm in the Bahamas is,single mother of 6 chaseing deadbeat babie daddys for child support , 10 years we will catch Jamaica ,40 murders per 100,000 ,,irresponsible baby making can not produce responsible societies no matter what the Government does ,,
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
i guess your younger then me and don,t remember the 80,s ,,if i told you some of the deals i brokered btw columbians and very prominent PLP,s and some of the people "church ', police etc that were on the payroll you would be shocked ,if you just want to blame moral decay on the FNM ,,GO READ WHAT BANKER AND I WERE BLOGGING ABOUT ON THE "DANDY' BISHOP ELLIS, THE YOUNG PREACHER PING BROUGTH UP FROM BIMINI,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
we talk about how proud we are as Bahamians and our culture and forefathers ,but then blame the bad on the U/S ,,CAN,T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS ,,DO WE HAVE AN IDENTITY AND INNER MORALS OR DO WE FOLLOW THE BAD OF ANYONE ,,ITS US KILLING AND RAPING US ,I LIVED IN THE STATES FOR 20 YRS ,AND I COULDN,T BRIBE AND BUY MY WAY THROUGH SH,,T LIKE I DID HERE ,,,IF THE U/S DID INFLUENCE US WE JUST GOT BETTER AT CRIME B/C PER CAPITA OUR CRIME RATE MAKES THE U/S LOOK LIKE SUNDAY SCHOOL,,BRO AS A KID I NEVER HAD A BIKE ,MOTOCYLE ,EVEN A HORSE THAT WASN,T STOLEN ,,MY SIS LIVES IN A MIDDLE CLASS AREA IN NORTH CAROLINA AND HER KIDS ARE TEENAGERS AND HAVE HAD NOT ONE TOY ETC STOLEN ,,
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
you don,t buy many cops in the ghetto in the states m,,yes i moved dope there too,,if were so special and have such an identity and not like yankees ,,how come you blame all our bad on them ,,don,t we have any identity ,,,what bout all our forefather talk and big hat wearing church going ,,so we are so weak that we copie all the bad from someone else ,,thats what your saying ??
hotep86 10 years, 8 months ago
My thing is this: I don't believe any logical thinking Bahamian believes that no beatings go on at the detention center. This has been a tale of time. If some of the detainees were beaten as a result of an attempted escape, then as the Minister said (whether we believe he covered it up or not) to let the chips fall as they may, we don't really know the circumstances. I also think this matter could have waited given the sensitivity of the situation at the moment. It was just ill thought out and will ultimately backfire on an already flailing attempt at leadership. As previously mentioned, Dr. Minnis toured the facilities directly after the video came out and stated he saw no signs of abuse. To be quite frank, the FNM just doesn't make sense right now.
I don't believe the former Prime Minister would have done something as damaging and silly as this. One thing about Hubert A. Ingraham, he is a Patriot, and a master strategist, whether we like him or not. Duane Sands should distance himself instead of hopping on the silly wagon. This is pathetic.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
so if Bahamians had the sh##t beaten out of them at Krome ave detention center in florida the repubs/dems should band togeather not to expose it ,,3 months for an invistigation?? why does a retired judge and clergy have to give the final report ,,CID ,SID or the police couldn,t investigate this ?? something is fishy
TalRussell 10 years, 8 months ago
Didn't this all start with a video? Now that the credibility of the video has been destroyed, the red shirts are playing politics by joining in with a bunch of radical foreigners with their own self-serving political interests, by resorting to involving their own Bahamaland in an international media conflict. On NO evidence of any kind that can support the Cubans claims of being beaten by detention center guards? They need to hide their red heads in shame. Minister Freddy has clearly stated that a independent investigation has commenced and is being headed by a prominent judge, who even the reds cannot question his integrity to deliver a non bias report back to the government. The minister has clearly stated that his government WILL take action, IF any detainee was physically abused as is being alleged by the red shirts, in cohorts with their new radical Cuban friends. It ain't like these Cubans came here respecting Bahamalands laws. Once again the red shirts side with the illegal, against their own sovereign Bahamaland. Why so? Because Minnis is the conductor of a party, that has already come off its opposition tracks. Ask Abaco's Edison, if Minnis is all but finished as the leader? That being cozy with the Cubans who are using the leader to be bad mouthing our Bahamaland, may just be the last track, that will derail Minnis's already weak hold onto the leadership. I say he all but baked.
by TalRussell
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
dread we need police in schools to keep our lil darlins from beaten one another or teachers half to death ,,do you think these RBDF officers were special appointees of Tibetan monks ,,,,,,lol
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
back in the day they were all nice ,especially when we had something to take care of them ,,however none of us were difficult broke ass detainees trying to escape ,,I "think" Minnis has proof but will hold it until the PLPs hand picked retired judge and "esteem " clergy release their findings ,,it is a chess game now ,the U/S already knows ,they have many 'sources"
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 8 months ago
Sigh I said a few days ago that I would have never believed abuse happened against immigrants detained at the center, after all they haven't committed any heinous crimes to foster any sort of hatred...but just as I made the comment I remember being told a story probably 20yrs ago about defence force officers driving around picking up jonsers and beating them while telling them to "say no to drugs"... If that was happening 20yrs ago...what is happening now?
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 8 months ago
Yeah I realize its not everybody. I'm saying it happens. Ignoring it and saying how wonderful the Bahamas is doesnt negate that it happened...I know wonderful people who served and some who are currently serving.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 8 months ago
i was in the police van all night in 2003 when they were beating the holy crap out of young men ,holding them punching them in the belly ,whipping them w/ tamarind switch and telling them get back over the hill ,i had money and they made offers for me to "buy out " but i wanted to get off coke and didn,t ,,man the beatens i saw at fox hill for difficult dudes were brutal ,,we use physical force and violence as conflict resolution from child rearing ,to love relationship ,to policing ,,how many guys have died in custody in the last couple years ,,we are not talking about the U/S we are talking about if detainees were beaten here ,,,,,,,,,,and something seems pretty fishy ,,plus i think Sands and Doc wouldn,t keep going w/ out proof ,,why show the proof ,let the people your opposeing dig a deeper hole ,then show it,,,,thats how politics is played ,,
242 10 years, 8 months ago
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