Authentic Jerseys Cheap Arianna Gordon of the Guyana Times

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…flays police for unlawful killings“The principal human rights abuses were complaints of unlawful killings by police, mistreatment of suspects and detainees by security forces, poor prison and jail conditions, and lengthy pretrial detention…“Other problems included allegations of government corruption,Jerseys Cheap Wholesale, including among police officials, and sexual and domestic violence against women and abuse of minors.”This is according to the United States of America’s State Department Annual Report on Human Rights for 2010, released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday.The report pointed out that while the government or its agents did not commit any politically motivated killings,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) received 13 complaints of unlawful killings.The report documents as an example the fateful day in June last when police officers, responding to a disturbance at a high school, shot and killed 16-year-old student, Kelvin Fraser.Another example cited was the fact that there were no known developments in the investigation by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the April 2009 fatal shooting by an off-duty member of the Presidential Guard.The US report also pointed out the 2009 killing of businessman Dweive Kant Ramdass among others.The report stated that during the year the PCA received 11 complaints of unnecessary use of violence and the local media reported several cases of random police brutality, arrest,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, and interrogation prior to investigation.The case of Detective Corporal Ricardo Inniss who was accused of raping a 21-year-old woman who was in custody at the Turkeyen Police Station was also documented.The woman alleged that the detective, who was on duty, threatened her with continued confinement, took her into a room, and had sex with her against her will.The woman reported the incident, and the detective was detained but no charges were ever filed at year’s end.The US State Department report also cited the October 2009 case against three police officers, Sergeant Narine Lall, Constable Mohanram Dolai, and Corporal Oswald Foo, for maliciously wounding three suspects, 14-year-old Twyon Thomas, Deonarine Rafick, and Nouravie Wilfred.“Prison and jail conditions were poor and deteriorating, particularly in police holding cells. Capacity and resource constraints were a problem…The Prison Authority reported that at the end of October, there were 2,122 prisoners in five facilities, which had a combined design capacity of 1,580.”Approximately half of the prisoners are in Georgetown’s Camp Street Prison, which was designed to hold 600 inmates but held 1,060.“Overcrowding was in large part due to backlogs of pretrial detainees, who constituted approximately 41 percent of the total prison population…Government medical officers visit each prison location on a monthly basis.”It stated also that unlike in past years when all newly hired prison guards received limited human rights training from the Guyana Human Rights Association, the association was not invited to perform training during the year.The report did include the fact that conditions improved at the Brickdam facility lockups after the facility reopened following renovations that saw improved cells and bathroom facilities.It stated however that although precinct jails were intended to serve only as pretrial holding areas, some suspects were detained there as long as two years, awaiting judicial action on their cases.It was pointed out that prisoners and detainees had reasonable access to visitors and were permitted religious observance.Prison chaplains representing the major faiths in the country were appointed to all prison facilities.Prisoners and detainees are able to submit complaints to judicial authorities without censorship and to request investigation of credible allegations of inhumane conditionsThe report stated that while the constitution provides for the appointment of an ombudsman who may investigate any action taken by any government department or authority in relation to the administrative functions of that department or authority, the position has been vacant since 2005. “There was no indication that the government declined to permit independent monitoring of prison conditions, but there were no known monitoring visits during the year.”The report also pointed out that inadequate training, poor equipment, and acute budgetary constraints severely limited the GPF’s effectiveness. Public confidence in,Cheap Jeseys NFL, and cooperation with, the police remained low and there were reports of corruption in the police force.It was pointed out that although the law providescriminal detainees prompt access to a lawyer of their choice and to family members, in practice these rights sometimes were not fully respected. The state provides legal counsel for indigent persons only when such persons are charged with a capital offense.The report stated that police routinely required permission from the senior investigating officer, who was seldom on the premises, before permitting counsel access to a client.Lengthy pretrial detention, due primarily to judicial inefficiency, staff shortages, and cumbersome legal procedures, remained a problem.“Pretrial detainees constituted 41 percent of the prison and detainee population.”The report also stated that the Government officials used libel laws to suppress criticism, and the government closed the UN-funded Media Monitoring Unit,Bobby Doerr Jersey, established in 2006 to monitor media in advance of the elections.It drew reference to President Bharrat Jagdeo who filed a libel suit for $10M against the publishers of the Kaieteur News; its editor in chief, Adam Harris; and columnist Frederick Kissoon. The suit stemmed from statements in a June 28 article, “King Kong sent his goons to disrupt the conference.”The State Department report also documented that reporters, Gary Eleazar from Kaieteur News; Colin Smith, editor of the Catholic Standard and local BBC correspondent; Arianna Gordon of the Guyana Times; and Victor Vanvield of Prime News were turned away from a press briefing at the Office of the President for not having a GINA pass.They were informed that they would not be allowed in without a GINA pass and that the Guyana Press Association accreditation was not acceptable.Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon stated that the government would not surrender accreditation to any firm or entity other than GINA.The report stated that all radio stations operating on the electromagnetic spectrum are government controlled.“In October 2009 the Court of Appeal ruled that the government had an unlawful monopoly on the airwaves and that the National Frequency Management Unit was not adequately considering radio license applications…The government’s monopoly on radio broadcasting continued, limiting the expression of opposition views.”The US Department Statement said that the World Bank’s worldwide governance indicators reflected that government corruption was a serious problem.“There was a widespread public perception of serious corruption in the government,China Jerseys Cheap, including law enforcement and the judicial system with low-wage public servants are easy targets for bribery.”