By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
A GROUP of people demonstrated outside the Bahamas’ Miami Consulate office last week calling for information on the whereabouts of their loved ones and over alleged human rights abuses of Cuban detainees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the individuals the group is seeking information about are not currently detained at the Detention Centre, adding that there are no current claims of abuse or mistreatment of detainees.
In a statement issued on Monday, the ministry said media reports indicate the protesters were seeking answers regarding loved ones who allegedly were seeking asylum, but are missing in The Bahamas.
“The matter began when the building security personnel noticed that a small group of protesters had presented itself at the entrance of the building demanding access to the Consulate. The security personnel alerted the Consulate of the same,” the statement read.
“The Consulate notified the US Department of State Office of Foreign Missions in Miami, which advised the diplomatic security officers accordingly. The Consulate’s police liaison officer also contacted the Miami Police Department, which immediately dispatched police officers to the building. At no time was any staff member of the Consulate in danger.
“It was reported by a local Miami news team that the group of protesters was demanding answers to matters regarding loved ones who, it is alleged, were seeking asylum but were missing in The Bahamas. Further allegations made included mistreatment of Cubans while in the Detention Centre.”
It was further stated that the ministry contacted The Bahamas Department of Immigration, which informed the ministry’s director-general that none of the individuals named in the article by the Miami press has shown up on the list of Cuban nationals currently detained at the Detention Centre.
“The Department of Immigration has reported that, to date, there are no reports of abuse or mistreatment of detainees at the centre. Regarding individuals seeking asylum in The Bahamas, careful attention is given to ensuring that asylum procedures, as prescribed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, be observed and upheld,” the ministry stated.
“By way of the present, the Bahamian Immigration authorities have informed the ministry that there are no cases pending of Cuban nationals seeking asylum in The Bahamas at this time. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains engaged in the ongoing investigation of this matter.”
According to Florida’s Local10 news channel, the protestors believe Cuban migrants who have been intercepted at sea are being detained in The Bahamas.
“I am looking for help in the Bahamas consulate,” said Yahima Morejon, according to Local10. com. “This search that we are doing is not about one family member. It’s about all the people that are missing right now.”
Ms Morejon says her relative Montalvo Garcia left Cuba in a homemade raft on Sept 23.
It is claimed that dozens more Cubans who fled their country are missing, with relatives suspecting they are being held here.
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