The truth is out. The Bahamas is hardly a paradise. In fact, for prisoners at the nation’s Fox Hill prison and the country’s immigrant detention centre, it is an inhumane hell.
After reports by the Bahamas’ own Tribune newspaper were dismissed with a “government investigation”, which amounted to little more than whitewash, the Miami Herald has published a scathing report on the torture and abuse of migrants and the prisoners in the troubled island nation.
The Front page of Sunday’s Miami Herald carried an article titled “Migrants Torment” which recounts the alleged torture and abuse for an international readership.
One Cuban detainee told the Herald, “They treat us like dogs. They don’t give us soap or drinking water. They give us nothing.”
Other detainees claim that guards have forced prisoners to eat off the ground, raped two women and subjected Cubans to mock executions. In addition they claim there is poor food quality, rancid bathrooms and a lack of proper bedding and medical treatment.
Yesterday, the Bahamas Government, which is fast losing its integrity and is sometimes referred to as an organized criminal gang, issued another of it’s hastily prepared “press statements” condemning the journalistic work of the Award winning Herald newspaper and promising another of it’s useless investigations into the matter.
The shamed nation’s head of Immigration, Mr. Vincent Peet, was disappointed with the fact that the Miami Herald had told the truth after he had granted the reporter special access to the facilities. It appears that Mr. Peet had tried hard to “smokescreen” the story and cover up the facts.
Mr. Peet, in typical Bahamian fashion, tried to blame others for the Bahamas government’s incompetence by suggesting that those critical of the prison conditions in the Bahamas should “put their money where their mouths is” and provide assistance to the country for much needed repairs and improvements. There was no mention by Mr. Peet why the country could not afford such improvements on its own, given the country’s billion dollar budget. It is widely believed that corruption, graft and the foolish squandering of money by the nation’s irresponsible government ministers is the reason for the country’s budget woes.
The abuse allegations come on the heels of other government scandals, one involving the alleged rape of a woman by a Cabinet Minister, another involving the rampant discrimination against woman in the Bahamas. The nation has been in violation of the non-discrimination treaty, signed many years ago, but has failed to responsibly address the issue.
