After four months of waiting, sources at the US Embassy confirmed yesterday that they have yet to receive the promised “in-depth report” from government on the alleged beating of an American journalist outside the Carmichael Road Detention Centre earlier this year.
Mario Vallejo, a newscaster with the Spanish channel Univision, was reportedly beaten and bloodied by a Defence Force officer while filming outside the compound on February 7.
According to witnesses, Mr Vallejo was covering the reunion of seven Cubans rescued several weeks ago at Elbow Cay and their relatives who flew in from Miami to meet them. It was reported that Mr Vallejo was hit in the face with a baton while using the public telephone outside the centre, sparking protests from the Cuban-American communitv in Florida.
Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, a source at the Embassy said: “The Embassy has received inquiries from members of Congress regarding the status of the investigation, and have relayed this to the government. While we have not received a report, we continue to have confidence that the government will address these issues appropriately.”
Immediately following the incident the then Immigration Minister Vincent Peet promised an in-depth report on the matter – however the public has heard nothing of the matter since then.
The embarrassing incident came as the international community was already focusing on the conditions and treatment that detainees had to endure at the Detention Centre. Coupled with the alleged “human rights” violations and the prolonged incarceration of two Cuban doctors, anti-Bahamas protests erupted in the Cuban-American community in South Florida.
The fallout from the beating escalated to the point where Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell warned Bahamians travelling to Florida to be on their guard for fear of possible retaliatory action by Cuban Americans.
At that time – February 17 – the Ministry of National Security said it had in its possession an “interim report” on the incident, but could not divulge any of the findings at that time as the matter was still under active police investigation.
Four days later – February 21- during his first official visit to the Bahamas, and only two weeks after the incident, Florida Governor Jeb Bush said he was “satisfied” with the steps taken by government to investigate the incident.
When contacted by The Tribune yesterday, the new Minister of Immigration and Labour, Shane Gibson, said he was not certain which agency was conducting the investigation. However, he said, if the matter involved a Defence Force officer, the department of Immigration would not be responsible for the investigation.
Attempts yesterday to contact Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt, who is also Minister of National Security, for an update failed. Also, her permanent secretary at the ministry, Mark Wilson was not available for comment. His secretary explained that he does not speak with The Tribune anymore.
By PAUL TURNQUEST Tribune Staff Reporter
