In his contribution to the sectoral debate in Parliament last week Wednesday (June 10), Minister of Justice, Delroy Chuck, stated, inter alia, that “Jamaica does not – and I hope will never have – a human rights problem”.

Needless to say, Minister Chuck’s assertion has triggered howls of protest and disagreement from many individuals and civil society organizations [including Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ)]; only the rank tribalists of his party will agree with him.

Brutality by the Jamaican police has been a long-standing problem.  Conditions in Jamaican prisons and lock-ups are notoriously poor, with overcrowding, poor ventilation, and poor sanitation.   Our right to speedy trials is not respected; some people get lost in the system and spend years in jail without their cases even coming to trial.  Poor people will be speedily locked up for stealing a few ackees, while cases involving millions of dollars (especially involving politicians) and illicit enrichment seem to take forever.