Amnesty International called for an investigation Friday into a fiery clash between migrants and guards at a detention center that left at least 20 people injured. At least one Cuban escaped.
The melee erupted when a group of migrants at the Charmichael Road Detention Center in Nassau allegedly refused to open the door of their dormitory on Thursday.
Some of the migrants set fire to the room and hurled fiery objects at the officers, who shot rubber bullets to disperse the detainees. At least nine detainees and 11 immigration officers were hurt. Two Cubans remained hospitalized Friday, according to Al Dillette, a detention center spokesman. Hospital officials said they were in stable condition.
Three migrants escaped hours before the fire but two were recaptured. Several migrants were jailed at another facility after the riot, Dillette said.
In October, the camp held 159 detainees. It was not clear how many are there now.
Amnesty International said it received reports that some detainees were beaten with batons and that police prevented detainees from leaving the facility once the fire started.
“The inquiry must be able to make recommendations, arising from its findings, on how the organization of immigration detention conditions could be changed or improved,” Amnesty said.
Dillette denied the reports made to the London-based group.
“If you see the building, it’s completely gutted,” said Dillette. “If anyone was prevented from leaving they would be dead. That’s ludicrous.”
Amnesty alleged in an October report that detention staff beat two Cuban asylum seekers with batons on Oct. 1, then held a gun to their heads. On Oct. 9, several Haitians who tried to escape were allegedly beaten by employees and then denied medical care, the London-based group said.
Amnesty’s report also said that on Oct. 10, several Cuban detainees were forced to stand against a fence inside the facility for more than two hours without water.
The Bahamas government said Wednesday that a police investigation found no evidence of physical abuse at the detention facility. But Immigration and Labor Minister Vincent Peet ordered a review to look into problems with the provision of water, shelter and food.
The migrants are brought to the detention center while they wait to be repatriated or their asylum claims are reviewed.
Associated Press
