Amnesty International Urges Independent Judicial Review of Convictions of the Grenada 17

(New York) - As the 20th anniversary of the United States-led invasion of Grenada approaches, Amnesty International (AI) is calling on the Grenadian government to correct the injustice of the unfair trial of 17 political prisoners known as the Grenada 17. Today AI released a new report, The Grenada 17: Last of the Cold War Prisoners?, documenting irregularities in the initial trial proceedings.

In the report Amnesty International presents its analysis-one of the most comprehensive public documents to date-of the trial against the 17, bringing to light blatant violations of the right to a fair hearing. Amnesty International has long maintained that the Grenada 17 are being held on the grounds of a conviction obtained during a process in gross violation of international standards governing fair trials.

"Grenadian authorities should establish an independent judicial review of the convictions of the Grenada 17," said Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA). "If the authorities prove unwilling to put into place such a review, the only alternative in accordance with international human rights standards would be to release the Grenada 17."

In October 1983, a violent confrontation involving high-ranking members of the ruling New Jewel Movement (army officers and others) led to the killing of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and some of his supporters. Six days later, United States military forces entered Grenada and incarcerated numerous Grenadians believed to be involved in the killings.

The subsequent trial of the Grenada 17 took place in an atmosphere of hostility. It resulted in 14 death sentences and three sentences of long-term imprisonment. The death sentences were commuted a few years later.

Some of the human rights standards violated at the trial include:

gross irregularities in procedures used to establish a jury pool -- including the appointment of a registrant who, until the day before her appointment, was a member of the prosecution team;
inclusion of numerous confessions that may have been extracted under torture without adequate investigation to ensure that the statements had been freely given;
failure of the Court of Appeal to produce a written brief of its denial of the defendants' appeal, thereby denying their lawyers access to the criteria used by the judges in upholding the convictions -- information vital to any new appeal.

Recently the Prime Minister of Grenada stated that the fate of the Grenada 17 should be determined by public opinion.

"Whether the 17 continue to be imprisoned after an unfair trial cannot be a matter of public opinion," urged Schulz. "The Prime Minister of Grenada must be guided only by international human rights standards-not mob mentality-and immediately move to rectify the denial of a basic fair trial to the Grenada 17."
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On the Internet: www.amnestyusa.org