We'll come back when you STOP THE KILLING !
WORLD ACTION NEEDED !
BOYCOTT CALLED !
The international community is OUTRAGED at the huge step backwards
Trinidad & Tobago has taken. The country had MASS executions by
hanging in June of 1999, hanging 9 men in 3 days.
These actions have caused the Prime Minister of Jamaica, during
a recent visit to Toronto Canada to say that it is likely that Jamaica will
begin executions in the wake of the hangings in Trinidad.
We call upon the international community to show their disgust and outrage at these state murders by crossing TRINIDAD & TOBAGO off of their list of tourist destinations. We are calling for a full scale tourist boycott of Trinidad & Tobago. If Jamaica and other countries in the Carribbean insist on following the backwards attitude of the US, contary to almost every other country of concience; we will expand the boycott into these countries as well.
We'll
come back when you STOP THE KILLING !
CLICK HERE TO READ LETTERS FROM STEPHEN EVERSLEY, KILLED 6/7/1999
CLICK HERE TO READ PENPAL REQUESTS -DEATH ROW IN THE ISLANDS
The following petition was sent by Amnesty International to the Government,
as well as being printed in major newspapers in Trinidad and Tobago in the
week preceding the mass executions of 9 men.
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
NOT
TO CARRY OUT THE DEATH PENALTY
Noting the call for a moratorium on executions by
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
and Believing that abolition of the death penalty
contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and protection of human rights
We the undersigned urge:
the President of Trinidad and Tobago, to exercise
the prerogative of mercy on behalf of Dole Chadee also known as Nankisoon
Boodram; Joey Ramiah; Ramkalawan Singh; Joel Ramsingh; Russell Sankeralli;
Bhagwandeen Singh; Clive Thomas; Robin Gopaul and Stephen Eversley
and
the Government of Trinidad and Tobago introduce and
support legislation to create alternatives to
capital punishment for the crime of murder as a first
step in joining the majority of nations all over the
world in abolishing the death penalty.
Nobel Peace Prize Winners
Jos, Ramos-Horta
(East Timor)
John Hume MP MEP (Republic
of Ireland)
Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat
KCMG FRS (UK)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
(South Africa)
Politicians
The Rt. Hon. Paddy Ashdown
MP Leader of the Liberal Democrats (UK)
The Rt. Hon. Tony Benn MP
(UK)
Alan Dukes TD Member
of Irish Parliament and former government minister
Frances Fitzgerald TD,
Member of the Irish Parliament
John Higgins, General
Secretary of The Progressive Democrats Party of Ireland
The Rt. Hon. Gerald Kaufman
MP (UK)
Dr. Volker Kier MP Deputy
Floor Leader of Liberals Forum (Austria)
Ken Livingstone MP (UK)
Alice Mahon MP (UK)
Seamus Mallon MP and
Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland
Liz McManus TD, Member
of the Irish Parliament
Stan Newens Member of
the European Parliament
Ruairi Quinn TD, Member
of the Irish Parliament and Leader of the Irish Labour Party
Gerrit Valk MP Dutch
Labour Party
Religious Leaders
Lord Robin Eames,
Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland
Bishop Richard Holloway,
Bishop of Edinburgh, Primate of the Scottish Episcopal Church
The Reverend Jesse Jackson
Bishop Laurence Ryan (Ireland)
Human Rights Organisations
Helen Bamber, Director
of the Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture
Dr. Lloyd Barnett, Independent
Jamaican Council for Human Rights
Maja Daruwala, Director,
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Tracy Lamourie, Co-founder,
Canadian Coalition Against The Death Penalty
John McCarthy, Dir.
of Fundraising for the Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture
Michael McCormack, Co-President
of the Guyana Human Rights Association
Frank McNierney, National
Co-ordinator, Catholics Against Capital Punishment
Elisabeth Mulder, President
of Dutch Humanist League
Dave Parkinson, Co-founder,
Canadian Coalition Against The Death Penalty
Pierre Sane, Amnesty
International
Stephen Shaw, Director
of Prison Reform Trust
Shelagh Simmons, Caribbean
Justice
Jose Miguel Vivanco,
Executive Director of the Americas Division, Human Rights Watch
Other International Personalities
Lord Avebury (UK)
Jutta Beyrichen, author
(Germany)
Chrisje Brants, Professor
of Criminology University of Utrect
Professor Roger Hood Director
for the Centre of Criminology Research, All Saints College, University of
Oxford
Sir Ludovic Kennedy
Michael Mansfield QC
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
Roger Pannone, Past
President of the Law Society of England and Wales
Benjamin Zephaniah,
Poet
and 125 others
Tell Them You're Participating !
GOVERNMENT AND TOURIST BOARDS
Prime
Minister:
The
Rt. Hon. Basdeo Panday
Office
of the Prime Minister
Level
19, Central Bank Tower
Eric
Williams Plaza, Independence Square
Port
of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Telegrams:
Prime Minister, Port of Spain, Trinidad/Tobago
Faxes:
1 868 627 3444
Salutation:
Dear Prime Minister
Attorney
General:
The
Hon. Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj
Ministry
of the Attorney General
Winsure
Building, 24-28 Richmond Street
Port
of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Telegrams:
Attorney General, Port of Spain, Trinidad/Tobago
Faxes:
1 868 625 0470 or 6530
Salutation:
Dear Attorney General
COPIES TO:
Minister
of National Security:
Senator
The Hon. Joseph Theodore
Ministry
of National Security
18
Knox Street
Port
of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Faxes:
1 868 627 8044
The
President:
The
Hon. Arthur Napoleon Robinson
President
of the Republic
The
President's House
Circular
Road
St.
Ann's, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Faxes:
1 868 625 7950
Ambassador
Michael Arneaud
Embassy
of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
1708
Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington
DC 20036
MEDIA
Trinidad
Guardian Newspaper - letters@guardian.co.tt
Newsday - ngrant@wow.net
Banyan TV - banyan@opus.co.tt
Footprints Eco Resort info@footprintseco-resort.com
The Royal Palm Hotel royalpalm@trinidad.net
The Normandie
normandie@wow.net
Fantasy Island
fantasy@tstt.net.tt
Halyconia Inn
lmorris@trinidad.net
Holiday Inn
holidayinn@trinidad.net
Jireh's Guest House ireh@trinidad.net
Palm Ville B & B
palmville@trinidad.net
"I
had just received a letter (dated 2 weeks before) from our friend and penpal Stephen Eversley,
on Death Row in Trinidad / Tobago. I was halfway through responding
to it and deciding what
magazines to send him - he had asked for some reading material - when we received
an email with
the news that the Privy Council in London had denied hisappeal, along with the appeals of eight
other men on death row for the same charge,
and they had set the
date for mass executions, set to
take place in groups of three, between May 18th and May 20th, 1999 - just days later.
We were
devastated at the suddenness of it all. We were very relieved the next day when we heard
that
the men had recieved a stay. However, its back in front of
the courts in the next week or so, so it is
absolutely URGENT that you take immediate action ! "
--Tracy Lamourie,
Co-founder, Canadian Coalition Against the
Death Penalty
May 21, 1999
In Memory Of :
Dole Chadee
Joey Ramiah
Joel Ramsingh
Ramkalawan Singh
Russell Sankeralli
Bhagwandeen Singh
Clive Thomas
Robin Gopaul
Stephen Eversley
Conditions
in the Prison
" All nine men state that they have been treated appallingly in prison.Before
trial they were housed in a cell measuring 6 feet by 9 feet (2 metres by 3 metres), with no beds and a slop bucket for a
toilet. Theystate that there were between five and ten other prisoners in
the celland they were kept there for at least 23 hours a day, sometimes
having to sleep standing up. Dole Chadee was reportedly
moved to death row five months before his conviction.
On one occasion he says he was moved to the cell
directly opposite the gallows chamber and was
told by guards that he was being kept there 'to suffer until we[are] ready
for you.' After conviction, all nine were moved
to death row, where they are kept in poorly ventilated
and unsanitary cells. Occasionally they areallowed out for one hour's exercise.
They say that warders sometimes refuse
to allow them to empty their slop buckets when they are full. " ----From
the Amnesty International Report
ISLAND PARADISE
?
By Anne Coleman
I have always been repulsed by the thought of a Government taking the life of one of its own citizens.
In September of 1985 my
only daughter was murdered in Los Angeles CA. When I got the news
that she had been killed , I was overcome with grief. That grief quickly
turned into a nightmare , as I watched my youngest son plot, plan and
prepare to get revenge for the death of his sister. 2 years and 9 months
later, I was again in the cemetery watching
Daniel , my baby lowered
into the ground. He finally had his revenge .
Last year , while working against the death penalty, I was shocked to find that a country that I had always though of as an Island Paradise was planning to hang some of its citizens, and would go to any means to do that. Trinidad and Tobago , was prepared to break all of the treaties that it was a participant in , just to start killing its own people. Its reasoning, to deter crime. I started a tourist boycott at that time, but when the hangings did not come about , I let it go.
June 4 1999 marked a new era in that country, with the hangings of three men, followed by three the next day and three the next business day.
Some of the men , it was reported were left on the gallows for one hour to make sure that they were dead. This despite the pleas of many well known people from through out the world.
Trinidad and Tobago depends on the tourist trade, but I for one would never be able to enjoy palm trees waving in the breeze, I would instead imagine men hanging by the neck waving in the breeze
.Every time that we take our passports out, and go on vacation we depend on our own country being able to at least see that we are given any protection that international treaties provide for. Trinidad and Tobago has gone to any length to breaking these treaties.
In my opinion Trinidad
and Tobago, is not a safe country to visit and should be boycotted
by all people . There are many island paradises that are safe to visit,
this is not one of them.. The next time that you think of an island
paradise , waving palm trees ,
think of 9 men hanging on the gallows,
think could this happen to me.
For me an end to violence, does not mean that the State must commit an act of violence , that is revenge. Revenge is the most dangerous thing that I can think of.
I beg of you when you are thinking of your Island in the sun , do not even consider Trinidad and Tobago, Read your own countries travel advisory, and know that the island will not be safe for you to come and go as you please. For your own safety you will have to stay in a tourist conclave.
When you make your vacation plans pick up the telephone, and call the Trinidad and Tobago Tourist Office. Tell them why this is not your Island in the Sun.
Anne Coleman
Because Love Allows Compassion
Trinidad and Tobago - Consular Information Sheet - November 2, 1998
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Trinidad and Tobago is a developing nation composed of two islands. Tourist facilities are widely available.
ENTRY
REQUIREMENTS: A passport is required for entry to Trinidad and Tobago.
Work permits are required for certain types of compensated and non-compensated
employment, including missionary work. For further information concerning
entry,
employment and customs requirements,
travelers may contact the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago, 1708 Massachusetts
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036, telephone (202) 467-6490 or the consulates
of Trinidad and Tobago in Miami and New York City.
MEDICAL
FACILITIES: Medical care is more limited than in the United States.
Care at public health facilities is significantly below U.S. standards for
treatment of serious injuries and illness. Care at some private facilities
is better than at most public health facilities, but doctors and hospitals
often expect immediate cash payment for health services. Ambulance service
is extremely limited both in the quality of emergency care and in the availability
of vehicles in many parts of the country. U.S. medical insurance is not
always valid outside the U.S. Supplementary medical insurance with specific
coverage, including provision
for medical evacuation, has proved useful. For additional health information,
travelers may contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's international
travelers hotline at (877) 394-8747, or their autofax service at (888) 232-3229,
or their Internet address at http://www.cdc.gov/.
CRIME INFORMATION: The government of Trinidad and Tobago has taken several initiatives to curb the growing crime rate, which is a major concern among the populace. Foreign visitors should avoid isolated areas and public beaches after dark and take local advice on specific areas to avoid. Pilfering from hotel rooms occurs on both islands. Travelers should not carry large amounts of cash nor wear expensive jewelry, and should use hotel safety deposit boxes to store valuables, money and passports. Travelers should exercise normal precautions, avoid areas not frequented by tourists, and avoid traveling alone. Any incidents of crime should be reported to the local police and the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain.
DRUG PENALTIES: U.S. citizens are subject to the laws of the country in which they are traveling. Criminal penalties for possession, use, and dealing in illegal drugs are severe and strictly enforced. Many of the Americans convicted for drug offenses in Trinidad and Tobago were caught taking suitcases or packages containing drugs out of the country. Even if the package or suitcase is being carried for someone else, the traveler is liable for its contents. Convicted offenders can expect lengthy jail sentences and fines.
TRAFFIC SAFETY/ROAD CONDITIONS: Traffic moves on the left. Roads and streets (except a few major highways) are narrow, in poor repair, and often congested. Driving patterns/habits are unpredictable. Visitors are urged to drive defensively.
EMBASSY LOCATION/REGISTRATION: U.S. citizens may register with the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy, located at 15 Queen's Park West in Port of Spain, Trinidad, telephone (868) 622-6371. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Monday - Friday, except on U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago holidays. The U.S. Embassy has updated information on travel and security in Trinidad and Tobago
The CCADP offers free webpages to over 500 Death Row Prisoners
Contact us for more information.
info@ccadp.org
"The Eyes Of The World Are Watching Now"