“No they cannot visit the prison!” This is what Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Mark Wilson told The Guardian, when he was asked if the Ministry would allow the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association (GBHRA) access to the penal institution.
Last month, GBHRA wrote Dr Elliston Rahming, Superintendent of Her Majesty’s Prisons, as well as the Ministry of National Security, requesting prison visitation rights. The Association said it was concerned about the well-being of the recaptured prisoners and indicated that it had received credible information that guards were abusing them. But GBHRA president Fred Smith said neither Dr Rahming nor the Ministry responded to the Association’s visitation request.
“That’s not true,” said Mr Wilson. “They have received a response both from me and from the Superintendent. They may not like the response they received but they are at liberty to draw those conclusions.”
“But no, they cannot visit the prison,” he stressed, adding, “Well, for the simple reason that the people that they have been talking about visiting are people who have been involved in the escape process. And those persons have had their visitation rights revoked.”
Mr Wilson further noted that the Association’s request to visit the prison had been turned down mainly because it was seeking access to the Maximum Security facility, which he explained was not possible as the facility has been on lockdown, i.e. not open to general visitation.
However, GBHRA in a statement to The Guardian yesterday, reiterated that its request was not answered. “We note that you (Dr Rahming) have indicated in the press that the matter of a visit by our delegation should be decided by the Minister of National Security. Respectfully, we disagree. You are the Superintendent of the Prison. Please give us permission immediately,” said the statement. It continued, “We seem to be facing a stony wall of silence and resistance from you and from the Minister of National Security (Cynthia Pratt). We advise that we have now alerted the following international institutions to the abuses of human rights occurring at Fox Hill Prison.”
The Association said these institutions included Amnesty International, Penal Reform International U.K., the International Centre for Prison Studies U.K., Americas Watch, U.S., and the Caribbean Human Rights Network of Attorneys and Associations involved in prison reform.
The Association also said it would be making representations to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C. as well as the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations Petitions Team in Geneva, Switzerland.
By: MINDELL SMALL, Senior Reporter at The Nassau Guardian
