St Lucia’s National Security Minister Hermangild Francis
(CMC) – The United States is calling for persons implicated in extra-judicial killings in St. Lucia a few years ago to be prosecuted, National Security Minister Hermangild Francis has said.
Francis, who recently returned attended a security meeting in Mexico, said he held talks with the Deputy United States Under Secretary of Defence, Sergio de la Pena and “in that discussion I was told that we definitely have, there must be prosecution.
“That’s the only thing the Americans are going to agree to. No matter how much we do, although we have put in the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution) and are linking with the Americans, telling them what we are doing.
“They want to see prosecution and so we are going to try and see how can do that as expeditiously as possible,” said Francis, a former acting police commissioner.
Earlier this year, Francis dismissed a claim by human rights lawyer Mary Francis that police officers implicated in the investigation into the Restore Confidence Operation of 2010/11 or the resultant IMPACTS Report have been promoted.
In May, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet said there was no “quick fix”’ into alleged extra-judicial killings and accused the former administration of making a mess of the situation.
In 2015, the then Kenny Anthony government said it had received a report of an investigation carried out by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) into the alleged extra-judicial killings.
The report, known as the IMPACS (Implementation Agency for Crime and Security) report, followed the probe into allegations of 12 unlawful killings by the police.
In August 2013, the United States suspended all forms of assistance to the RSLPF, citing allegations of serious human rights violations.
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