Full Text | PNP says rape comment was not directed at female journalist

The People's National Party (PNP) says its investigation has found that the rape comment that was made during an incident at its headquarters on Monday was not directed at a female journalist.

The PNP says its analysis of the recording as well as interviews conducted with individuals present revealed that the comment was made as part of a separate conversation involving two protesters from the South Eastern St Catherine constituency who were in the vicinity.

It says the journalist was not the target of the remark.

The party says it has sought the assistance of persons in the constituency to help identify and locate the persons on the recording.

“While the comment appears to have been banter between friends, the PNP wishes to reiterate its condemnation of all forms of violence and abusive language or behaviour, particularly towards women,” said the PNP in a statement today.

Full Statement 

We would like to provide the public with an update on the investigations into the incident that occurred at the PNP Headquarters on May 8, 2023.

Our investigations have been focused on identifying the individual responsible for making the "rape" comment, the intended target, and the context in which the comment was made.

Based on our analysis of the recording, as well as interviews conducted with individuals present at the time of the incident, it appears that the comment was made as part of a separate conversation between two protesters from SE St. Catherine who were in the vicinity.

It was not directed toward the journalist present. In fact, Martin (PNP), Jackson (RJR) and Campbell (NNN) were all unaware of the comment until they heard the recording from Nationwide. 

We have sought the assistance of the constituency of SE St Catherine to help identify and locate the persons on the recording.

While the comment appears to have been banter between friends, the PNP wishes to reiterate its condemnation of all forms of violence and abusive language or behaviour, particularly towards women.

The PNP will continue to support investigations by the authorities into any such incident and take swift and appropriate action against any and all perpetrators.

We have shared our initial findings with representatives of the media houses which were present at the time of the incident.

We will be reaching out to the RJR Media Group, Nationwide, the Media Association of Jamaica, and the Press Association of Jamaica to establish protocols for media engagement going forward.

We want to reaffirm our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and respect in all our interactions with the media and the public.

The PNP recognises the critical role that journalists play in holding public officials accountable and values the media's role in a democratic society.

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