Port-of-Spain: The 2010 Human Rights report on Trinidad and Tobago realeased by the United States' State Department, has pointed to incidents of torture by electric shocks by police officers among other damning accounts of human rights attrocities.
The 20-page report has not been made public by Government officials.
It notes under the heading "Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life", that 41 persons died as of December 17th while in police custody or at the hands of law enforcement officers, adding that all cases were reported to be under investigation, but authorities had not brought charges or otherwise punished any of the officers be year's end.
The report frowns of the alledged actions of police, pointing to the case of a 21-year-old man who disappeared in Laventille on April 23rd last year.
"One allegation," it says, "concerned Laventille resident Keon Glasgow, taken into custody in April and not accounted for since."
It referenced the fears of relatives that Glasgow was killed with police involvement.
It was, however, the allegations of torture that were most damning.
"Authorities had 12 police officers from the Central Division Task Force and the Robbery Squad under investigation regarding allegations that they misused Tasers by placing suspects in a barrel of water and shocking them. The investigation continued by year's end and was pending a decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions."
The Human Rights report later revealed that as many as 29 prison officers were charged for assualt and battery, or poor conduct.
It also reflected on the country's industrial relations climate, stating that the government was consistently unwilling to negotiate with public sector unions and refused to amend its legislation on essential services and collective bargaining to conform to ILO conventions.
However the country has given a good rating for upholding, for the most part, the freedoms and rights enshrined in the constiution.
You must be logged in to post a comment.