Neutral party needed

A call has been made for a Human Rights Commissioner or Ombudsman in Barbados, who can serve as an independent party to investigate complaints about human rights breaches and other alleged wrongs committed in the country.

The call came recently from Attorney-at-Law Lalu Hanuman, as he noted that a Human Rights Commissioner should be the one making an investigation into the death of Shaquon Cave, who it is said died in police custody over a year ago, but answers are still forthcoming. He noted that matters like these and any other matters in need of investigation should be given  to an independent party, even as he took issue with members of the Royal Barbados Police Force doing their own investigation into the matter.

“There is need in Barbados for a transparent investigation process. It is a breach of natural justice in effect, to have any role of the police in an investigation of themselves. Under the Barbadian Police Complaints Authority, the Commissioner of Police is given a certain role and as such, it means that anybody objectively looking at that investigation process would be somewhat challenged to say that it is genuinely transparent and independent, given that there is a role for the Commissioner of Police,” Hanuman pointed out.

Speaking directly to Shaquon’s father Andrew Cave and mother Trudy Chow during a recent press conference convened by the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, Hanuman said, “I hope your son’s death is not in vain. Nothing can replace him and substitute for the pain and suffering you feel, but if anything, I think as a group we should sincerely agitate for some sort of independent Human Rights Commissioner as they have in New Zealand or Humans Right Ombudsman as they have in places like Slovenia, to ensure that there is a genuine, transparent, objective, non-bias, neutral investigation, not only of issues like this, but general issues.”

“So people who have complaints about the government in terms of human rights issues, they can approach that Human Rights Commissioner or Human Rights Ombudsman and that person then can investigate and publish a report. I think this is what we should be campaigning for in Barbados and I think it is quite opportune at this time as well,” the attorney stressed.

Pointing out that Barbados will become a Republic by November of this year, he added, “This is a great opportunity to change our Constitution. That article could be put into the new Constitution, the Republic Constitution, to ensure that there is either a Human Rights Commissioner or Human Rights Ombudsman in place.”