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<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/grenad17/petition.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.petitiononline.com/grenad17/petition.html</a><br><br>
To: Keith Mitchell, the Prime Minister of Grenada; The Commonwealth
Leaders; Amnesty International; Human Rights Watch; OAS Human Rights
Commission</font><font size=3> <br><br>
JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR THE GRENADA 17 <br><br>
We, the undersigned, come together before you, seeking truth, justice and
freedom for the Grenada 17, who have been unjustly incarcerated at
Richmond Hill Prison, Grenada, for almost 22 years. <br><br>
As the surviving former political and military leaders of the Grenadian
revolution, the Grenada 17 were arrested in October 1983 when the United
States, in clear violation of international law, invaded the beautiful
island of Grenada. Within a week, 79 world governments expressed their
disapproval of this action, and the United Nation’s General Assembly
voted 108 to 9 to condemn the American intervention. <br><br>
The statements given by the Grenada 17 to police investigators in
November 1983, and later recorded in the form of affidavits, bear witness
to the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment these political prisoners
were subjected to upon their arrest. They also reveal that the
confessions of guilt, which were used as evidence in the trial of the 17,
were extracted from them under torture. Apart from these coerced
confessions, the convictions of the Grenada 17 were based solely on the
perjured evidence of a single witness, who was later described by an
eminent Caribbean Appeals Court Judge as 'having a grudge against the
accused, and therefore a motive to lie'. <br><br>
The numerous deceits and irregularities of the trial of the Grenada 17,
and of the subsequent legal motions through which their appeals for
justice were turned down, are described in the 2003 Amnesty International
report entitled 'The Grenada 17: Last of the Cold War Prisoners?'
(<a href="http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR320012003?open&of=ENG-GRD" eudora="autourl">
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR320012003?open&of=ENG-GRD</a>
). The Amnesty document considers the process against the 17 to have been
'fatally flawed' and 'manifestly unjust', and calls for an independent
judicial review of their convictions. So far the Grenadian authorities
have not acted upon Amnesty’s recommendations. The Grenada 17 have always
maintained their innocence and have stated that if they had been allowed
a free and fair trial they would have cleared their names and be free
today. <br><br>
The mental, physical and emotional abuse and stress that the 17 have
endured during the 22 years of their imprisonment have taken a heavy
toll. Phyllis Coard, former Deputy Minister for Women's Affairs, was
diagnosed with cancer in 2000 after 16 years of incarceration, which
included nearly 7 years in isolation. She was granted only temporary
release for treatment. In 2004, John Ventour, former General Secretary of
the Grenada Trade Union Council, was also diagnosed with cancer. He
remains incarcerated. Others of the Grenada 17 suffer from severe
prostatitis, arthritis, diabetes, and other medical conditions. Former
Deputy PM Bernard Coard is losing his sight. <br><br>
During its time in power, the People's Revolutionary Government, of which
many of the 17 were members, was responsible for substantial social and
economic reforms. These gifted and capable people, now languishing in
prison, brought free medical care and free education to Grenada. They set
up a health center in every parish and effected the doubling of the
number of doctors on the island. They helped raise literacy by teacher
education and an each-one-teach-one program throughout the countryside.
They inaugurated a healthy, independent agro-industry relying on domestic
resources, which surpassed all other Caribbean economies in the rate of
its growth and stability. They reduced the rate of unemployment from 40
to 14 percent. Furthermore, during their time of incarceration, the
Grenada 17 have exhibited exemplary behavior, earning academic degrees in
a variety of fields and running an educational program for other inmates,
which has contributed substantially to those inmates' prospects for
rehabilitation. <br><br>
In 2004, Archbishop Desmond Tutu urged clemency for the Grenada 17,
stating that the time had come for healing and reconciliation. We join
him, as well as Amnesty International and those honourable judges who
have demonstrated their integrity and independence through rulings
favourable to the 17, in calling upon Prime Minister Mitchell and the
Grenada government to do what's best for all concerned: Set the 17 free,
and let Grenada move forward into a future no longer afflicted by the
pain and mistakes of the past. <br><br>
<br>
Sincerely, <br><br>
<br><br>
To Sign Petition:<br><br>
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<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/grenad17/petition.html" eudora="autourl">
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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