VZCZCXYZ0011
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKG #0292/01 0951610
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041610Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6166

UNCLAS KINGSTON 000292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR (JOE TILGHMAN) 
INL/LP (NATALIA BOZZOLO) 
DEPT OF JUSTICE (ROBERT LIPPMAN) 
TREASURY FOR SARA GRAY 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL ELAB SOCI KCRM JM XL
 
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RELEASES CONDEMNATORY REPORT 
ON PUBLIC SECURITY CRISIS, BUT SEES "NEW HOPE" WITH NEW GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: A: KINGSTON 228 
B: 07 KINGSTON 1681 
C: 07 KINGSTON 1805 
D: 07 KINGSTON 1813 
 
Summary 
-------- 
 
¶1. (U) "Let them kill each other: Public security in Jamaica's inner 
cities," is the title of a comprehensive report on public security 
released by Amnesty International during a press conference on April 
¶2.  The 50 page report is the result of research and interviews 
conducted in Jamaica from December 2006 to October 2007.  On April 
3, representatives from Amnesty International met with the Pol/Econ 
Section of Embassy Kingston to discuss the report and the Government 
of Jamaica (GoJ)'s  response.  Amnesty perceives a "golden window of 
opportunity", of about 18 months, for the new government to make an 
impact on the public security in Jamaica before things once again 
begin to deteriorate. (Comment: Post shares this assessment. End 
Comment.) 
 
Key Findings of the Report 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The report cites a "lack of political will" as being the 
primary obstacle in reforming the public security of the inner 
cities.  A high murder rate for many years, an increase in police 
killings, corruption in law enforcement, and a broken judicial 
system are the areas of most concern.  However, Amnesty mentions 
that over the last 20 years the GoJ has conducted several studies of 
crime and garrison violence, so the problems are well known; yet, 
there has never been a concerted effort to act and make the 
difficult decisions necessary to make improvements in the inner city 
environments, as well as meaningful reform of the JCF. 
 
¶3. (U) According to the report, the principal victims of violent 
crime in Jamaica are living in extremely poor overcrowded ghettos or 
garrison communities.  Between 30 and 45 percent of the population 
of the Kingston Metropolitan Area live in these communities.  It is 
in these so-called garrison communities that political violence 
merges with harsh living conditions, thus creating the problems 
detailed in the report.  When interviewed, residents of these 
communities complained about lack of jobs, lack of job training, 
lack of access to education, and substandard housing. 
 
Political Roots of Violence 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Political violence always has been a feature of Jamaican 
party politics.  Since independence in 1962, two political parties 
have dominated the scene: the current-ruling Jamaica Labour Party 
(JLP) and the now-opposition People's National Party (PNP).  Street 
violence and organized gangs have been regular features of the 
political process.  The situation took a turn for the worse during 
the turbulent 70s, when sticks and stones were replaced with 
semi-automatic weapons. 
 
¶5. (U) The report focuses on the garrison communities and their 
control by gangs and gang leaders.  According to the report, 
"A garrison, as the name suggests, is a political stronghold, a 
veritable fortress completely controlled by a party.  At one level a 
garrison community can be described as one in which anyone who seeks 
to oppose, raise opposition to or organize against the dominant 
party would definitely be in danger of suffering serious damage to 
their possessions or person thus making continued residence in the 
area extremely difficult if not impossible.  Any significant social, 
political, economic or cultural development within the garrison can 
only take place with the tacit approval of the leadership (whether 
local or national) of the dominant party." 
 
¶6. (U) This garrison phenomenon creates high levels of violence in 
the communities, and adjacent communities also suffer because of 
confrontations between rival gangs.  The Amnesty report also notes 
that political violence in Jamaica reached its peak during the 1980 
elections, when around 800 people were killed in clashes between 
rival groups.  The report does note that the recent national 
election of 2007 did not see as much political violence as many had 
predicted.  This was a relief given the violent history of Jamaican 
elections and the closeness of the race. 
 
Poverty and the Links to Violence 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Fernanda Daz Costa of Amnesty International summarized the 
report saying that their study shows a strong link between poverty 
in the inner cities and a propensity for crime.  She said that many 
 
years of neglect of the inner cities, and garrison communities, by 
the GoJ had created a crisis of public security and a power vacuum 
filled by gang leaders and drug dons.  Many of these garrison 
residents feel trapped, too poor to move out, and threatened by both 
police and criminal elements in their communities. 
 
¶8. (U) The report gives many first-hand accounts, the results of 
interviews conducted in the garrison communities by Amnesty.  The 
report details many incidents of police violence and police 
killings, most of which have appeared in the local media as well 
(Ref A).  The report also cites the high murder rates and recognizes 
the struggles and challenges faced by the Jamaica Constabulary Force 
(JCF) as they are confronted with violence and attempts on their 
lives on an almost daily basis. 
 
Failures of the GoJ 
-------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Amnesty devotes an entire chapter to the failure to provide 
security.  The introduction to the fourth chapter states, 
"The Jamaican state has an obligation to respect, protect and 
fulfill the human rights to life, integrity and dignity of all 
people living under its jurisdiction.  International human rights 
law requires that the authorities not abuse their powers and 
actively protect people's rights." 
 
¶10. (U) The report also lists the failures of the government and how 
these lead to the poor people being denied security by the state. 
It also delineates the lack of public confidence in law enforcement; 
and the insufficient progress in reforming the JCF.  Other 
highlights include the excessive force used by the police and the 
lack of accountability in cases of potential abuse by the police in 
carrying out their duties.  Perhaps the biggest concern noted in 
this chapter is the lack of a comprehensive security policy. 
 
Stories of Hope 
---------------- 
 
¶11. (U) Amnesty balances the negatives with a chapter dedicated to 
the new hope that has been created by the recently elected JLP-led 
government as they attempt to address security issues (Ref B, C, D). 
 This section also lists many successful small initiatives and grass 
roots organizations that are having a positive effect in some 
communities.  One of these is the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) 
created in 2002, comprised of a group of 12 individuals from civil 
society and the two main political parties.  Its mandate is "to head 
off or defuse explosions of violence in the Kingston Metropolitan 
Area and nearby parts of the adjoining parish of St Catherine." 
According to the report, PMI is completely independent from the 
government, but does receive some funding from the Ministry of 
National Security (MNS). 
 
Conclusions from the Report 
---------------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) Amnesty calls on the Jamaican government to create a 
comprehensive public security plan for the protection of human 
rights to include the following priorities: 
 
-- The immediate implementation of a program to reduce and prevent 
homicides and police killings in inner-cities; 
 
-- The immediate reduction of excessive force by the JCF; 
 
-- Reforms to the JCF to create a police force that is 
representative, responsive and accountable to all the community and 
respectful of human rights; 
 
-- Combating corruption; 
 
-- Effective retraining of the police in the legitimate use of force 
and alternatives to the use of firearms according to international 
and national standards; 
 
-- A plan to combat root causes of violence, in particular 
disparities and discrimination in the access to economic, social and 
cultural rights; 
 
-- Strategies to combat stigmatization and discrimination against 
inner-city communities; 
 
-- Reinforcing initiatives such as the Peace Management Initiative; 
 
 
--Reporting publicly on a yearly basis on progress in 
implementation. 
 
 
Response from GoJ 
------------------ 
 
¶13. (SBU) Whereas most past government officials in Jamaica have 
taken a very defensive posture in response to similar reports, Prime 
Minister Bruce Golding (PM Golding) spoke freely in the media about 
Amnesty's most recent report.  He admitted that many of its 
conclusions and statements were true.  Golding also agreed that 
corruption and unprofessional behavior by the JCF are a recognized 
problem.  However, he was quick to point out some of the current 
proposals his new government has announced in response to issues of 
law and order and corruption; among these are a special prosecutor 
to deal with corruption and a new independent body for police 
accountability (Ref C, D). 
 
¶14. (U) The representatives from Amnesty International were 
encouraged by the initial response from the GoJ, and said they 
believed PM Golding is trying to engage on the key issues.  Amnesty 
perceives a "golden window of opportunity", of about 18 months, for 
the new government to make an impact on the public security in 
Jamaica before things once again begin to deteriorate. (Comment: 
Post shares this assessment. End Comment.)  While the GoJ is sending 
the right signals initially, the initiatives need to be pursued 
vigorously over the long haul. 
 
WEHRLI