Failed! Amnesty says Jamaican human-rights record leaves much to be desired

Debbie-Ann Wright, Assistant News Editor - Radio

Amnesty International's expert on Jamaica, Chiara Ligouri, has said the fact that there were no state-authorised executions last year is the "only good thing" about Jamaica's human-rights record.

"If you think about other indicators, such as the number of persons in fatal shootings by the police, the situation is not getting better. We still have people suffering discrimination, including 'corrective' rapes of lesbians," she said.

Ligouri was speaking against the background of the global human-rights organisation's 2011 annual report released Thursday night.

The 400-page report documenting the state of human rights in 157 countries during 2010 called out Jamaica on its human-rights failings.

Record-high murders

The report said the number of people allegedly killed by the police in Jamaica reached a record high in 2010.

The report also mentioned last year May's state of emergency, following the west Kingston incursion, in which it said at least 4,000 people were detained and 76 killed.

The report highlighted the problem of children being held with adults in detention and correctional facilities, despite a commitment from the Government to end this practice.

Amnesty International said there were scores of homophobic attacks, including at least three cases of 'corrective' rapes of lesbians, committed in Jamaica.