By NAN NEWS EDITOR
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. March 14, 2023: The US today slammed several Caribbean countries as having “significant human rights issues” based on laws on the book that criminalize same sex relations.
The 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said in brief remarks that the “report makes clear that, in 2022, in countries across every region, we continued to see a backsliding in human rights conditions – the closing of civic space, disrespect for fundamental human dignity.”
Here’s what the report says about each Caribbean country:
The Bahamas
The US says the “significant human rights issues” in The Bahamas includes credible reports of “cruel or degrading treatment of prisoners by prison officers.”
Haiti
Significant human rights issues in Haiti were identified in the US State Department report. They included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government agents; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; serious abuses in a conflict, including widespread civilian deaths or harm, enforced disappearances or abductions, torture, and physical abuse.” The report also identified other issues as the “inability of citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections; serious government corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence; substantial barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services; trafficking in persons; crimes involving violence and threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons; and existence of some of the worst forms of child labor.”
Jamaica
In Jamaica, the US report said“significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful and arbitrary killings by government security forces; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment by the government; harsh and life-threatening conditions in prisons and detention facilities; arbitrary arrest and detention; serious government corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence; and the existence of a law criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, although the government did not enforce the law during the year.”
Guyana
The US report says oil rich Guyana’s “significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings; laws that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adult men, which were not enforced; and existence of the worst forms of child labor.”
Grenada
Significant human rights issues identified in Grenada in the US Human Rights report “included laws criminalizing consensual sexual conduct between men.” But the report added that the “law was not enforced.”
Dominican Republic
The US Report identified several issues in the Dominican Republic including “credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings by government security forces; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police and other government agents; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary detention; arbitrary interference with privacy; serious government corruption; and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex persons.”
Dominica
In Dominica, “significant human rights issues included reports of the criminalization of libel and the criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, although there were no reported cases of enforcement during the year,” the US report said.
Cuba
Cuba was slammed for a number of significant human rights issues. They included: credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings, by the government; torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of political dissidents, detainees, and prisoners by security forces; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrests and detentions; political prisoners; transnational repression against individuals in another country; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, censorship, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and enforcement or threat to enforce criminal libel laws to limit expression.
Also identified were “serious restrictions on internet freedom; substantial interference with the right of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, or operation of nongovernmental and civil society organizations; severe restrictions on religious freedom; restrictions on freedom of movement and residence within the country and on the right to leave the country; inability of citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair elections; serious and unreasonable restrictions on political participation; serious government corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence, including femicide; trafficking in persons, including forced labor; and outlawing of independent trade unions.”
Belize
Significant human rights issues identified by the US’ 2022 Human Rights report in Belize “included credible reports of: abuse and inhuman treatment by security and prison officers; arbitrary arrest and detentions; refoulement of refugees to a country where they would face threats to their lives and freedom; serious corruption by government officials; and substantial barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services.”
Barbados
The US slammed Barbados for “significant human rights abuse” because of a law criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between men. But the report also admitted authorities did not enforce the law.
Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua & Barbuda’s “significant human rights issues included reports of government corruption and the existence of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults,” the US report said. But it admitted that the laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults were not enforced, and the High Court ruled them unconstitutional in July.
Trinidad & Tobago
Significant human rights issues, according to the 2022 US Human Rights Report includes “credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings by police, refoulement of asylum seekers, serious acts of corruption, and trafficking in persons.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Significant human rights issues in SVG, according to the 2022 US Report “included the criminalization of libel and the criminalization of consensual same-sex conduct between men, but the laws were not enforced during the year.”
St. Lucia
St. Lucia’s significant human rights issues in 2022, according to the US report, “included the criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, although there were no reported cases of enforcement.”
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Saint Kitts & Nevis’ “significant human rights issues included criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct between men, which was the law until August, when the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court ruled the law was unconstitutional,” the US said. “The law was not enforced during the part of the year when it was in place,” the report added.
Suriname
The US report says in 2022, Suriname’s “significant human rights issues included credible reports of: serious restrictions on freedom of expression, including enforcement of criminal libel laws; serious acts of corruption; and the existence of some of the worst forms of child labor.”
