Barbados has been holding Raul Garcia in prison illegally for the last two years. So say our courts and the United Nations.
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart lied about releasing Mr. Garcia just so he would stop his hunger strike that was gathering worldwide attention. Nobody seems to care that this nation founded by the descendants of slaves doesn’t care about human rights.
Now the President of the Barbados Bar Association says enough is enough: Raul Garcia is Bajan. He’s been here longer than many of our citizens, he’s made himself useful, developed his talent for painting and can probably not only support himself, but help to build this country.
LET HIM GO.
Ian Bourne tracked down Barbados Bar Association President Andrew Pilgrim (photo above courtesy of The Nation) and reports what Mr. Pilgrim has to say about this ongoing human rights violation by Prime Minister Stuart and Barbados.
It’s called journalism. Too bad that the old-stream Bajan news media is so incompetent that citizens have to hear the news from a local blogger. Sad, really.
The Bajan Reporter: President of the Barbados Bar Association sees special Unit for Raul Garcia as Tax Inefficient – Let the former Convict live and work here!
Barbados Free Press 
First thought
If this is right – then great – the argument about not allowing ex-cons to be policemen falls away.
@ BFP
Do you share this view?
Pilgrim has found himself in the unenviable position of representing a
professional body, many of whom would not be able to practice in any country without having been disbarred for lack of honesty and keeping their word.
The Prime Minister and previous PM were lawyers.
Makes you wonder?
@ Vipers Nest
LOL. The serpent moves.
Nearly six months ago BFP posted a Barbadian case (of 2008?) decided by Riefer J which, in all MATERIAL particulars ie having regard to the delay issue, was sufficiently close to Garcia to be accounted a precedent. That decision, which was that a two year delay was unreasonable and so unlawful, in other words covers Garcia. His continued detention is therefore unlawful and I do not understand why his lawyers have not sought his immediate release.
There are those, such as Hal Gollop, who argue that this case is not on all fours; but my view is that that opinion is ‘tainted’ for reasons some will understand. It hones in on the fact that in that case there was no element of criminality within the jurisdiction as distinct from the illegality of the stateless person’s presence
As with the case I referred to, there are people who have offered to house Raul.
I would not wish to speak about the grant of citizenship. That, I think, is to fudge matters; indeed, it is apt to be a turn off. BUT under the relevant convention for some purposes Raul would be treated as if he had a right of abode.
One other thing. Ian Bourne in the Reporter refers to Raul as a former “narco-trafficker”. I do wish people would stop saying this. His conviction for drug trafficking was quashed by the Court of Appeal.
Page 6 of Nation July 03, 2012. Case of a man indecently assaulting a girl on December 21,2000. Yes December 2000!
Nostradamus
Will try and get the paper. Sounds scandalous. Thankyou. Will comment when I’ve read it under the Kent post.
So what is his correct nomenclature? Ex-Inmate or Ex-Con or former Convict is tedious… He is yet to be recognised or accepted for his art so it’s a bit premature to refer to Senor Garcia as “The Artist” which is apart from an Oscar winning film, also a sobriquet for Prince?
Justice for Raul Garcia!!!!!
To read your comments, makes me only see how far back all you people in this country really are…You write very delicate words about something that is so dirty and rotten.
Your country is holding a man PRISONER a man who should have been home two years ago. A man who made a terrible mistake by going to your country…
Had Raul Garcia commited the same crime in the United States, he would have been home 10 years ago…instead he is rotting in your filty inhumane jail like a rat. Living in pure hell, deprived of his freedom and love of friends and family. Something that you people don’t know anything about.
You sit here and write almost poetic notes about this man that nobody knows, nobody has even met …but do you really care?? Have any of you written a formal letter to your Prime Minister to tell him what a rotten human being he is? What a lier he is ? No Right???
How can people in a higher power sleep at night?
How can people who come from slaves , slave another man of another race and color…negate his freedon without even an explanation?
God sees all and punishes all…
@ Ian Bourne
The negative point is very simple. You do not call him ‘narco-trafficker’.
He used to be, therefore if I say he is a former “etc.” is not inaccurate
@ Mr Bourne
Don’t be silly. You are sufferng from a surfeit of ego. Just take the point and move on.
At what point did God die and hand over the reins of power to you via Deed Poll? The Ego issue is clearly not with me, o Pontificator, if I choose to query than that’s my right!
Lets keep Garcia and get rid of all the lawyers all in favor…..say ….
Aye,aye
@ Bourne
You are getting sillier and sillier…but then you have that reputation.
People who wish to disagree say that when they can find no issues to wrap around once I reply, if it was really so, then both BFP & U’ground would not be latching on to the story? I state who I am and prove it, you merely purport to use a name and indicate a marginal interest in the Legal Profession of B’dos – if anyone’s credibility is at stake, it’s yours as an anonymous ranter claiming to have a “Real” name.
Bourne
That is the old cop out and you know it. As a matter of fact, the ‘Nation’ also calls Raul a ‘drug-trafficker’, as well as ‘Cuban’ and I have written to them too. The point is that very few know of his Appeal in which the trafficking conviction was quashed. Meanwhile Joe Public perceives him as a trafficker and sure it colours their perception of him unfairly. You think numbers make a difference – or are you a flat earther?
Now: I assume you are interested in truth. IF you are, you would be interested to hear it whichever side you are in the Garcia debate. Are you?
You slimily say I have a ‘marginal’ interest in legal matters. As a matter of fact, I have been in the law for 44 years – so on that one too BUZZ OFF you silly man.
The simple matter is that Rual Garcia is a piece of crap who helped to wreck the lives of so many people via drug trafficking. the courts meted out punishment and hence he should now be a free man. By law he must be deported from Barbados. However, Cuba, his place of birth refuses to take him, and no other country will take him as yet. Therefore the GOb is caught between a rock and a hard place. He should not be fereed to roam our streets. He must be sent from these shores.
I realise when Mr Bourne makes salient points you Trolls do not like to answer… Ian asked ‘Ross’ what should he refer to Garcia as? The shyster of alleged 44 years practice cannot reply, when Ian asks if ‘Ross’ is the shyster’s real name he is yet to respond and it seems ‘Ross’ is the one who’s being pompous, if he met Andrew Pilgrim in public would he question him as openly as Ian Bourne did? ‘Ross’ is the one who needs to go sit in the corner! Ian Bourne at least is brave enough to stand in the open and accept the unwarranted critique from a charlatan!
Ian Bourne has more courage than any one here in Free Press, myself included – I admire the way he goes after a story and tells it his way whether we want to hear it like that or not, this is courage all Bajans sadly lack and are in desperate need thereof. I think “robert ross” needs to take a long walk off of a short pier and do us all a favor? At least Ian went after details which we’re now discussing, and, while I see Pilgrim’s point? Nevertheless I think Government needs to grabble Garcia in the middle of the night, put a burlap sack on his head and drop him 1 mile off from the Bay of Pigs and claim no knowledge of the event, force Havana to deal with it!
“Ian Bourne has more courage than any one here in Free Press,”
Got that true, Son of Spam!
But it is also true that we get to cross lines that Ian won’t, or rather, cannot.
Both ways complement each other if you follow.
Or is that “compliment”? I’m never sure without checking it. It reminds me of flying a Texan where you can open the canopy or close it, but never have it partially open. It has to be one way or the other.
@Son of Spam
Sir the Barbados government is stuck between a rock and a hard place as far as Mr. Garcia’s liberty is concern. This unique aspect of immigration is a happenstance which seems to afflict our modern democracies. But more importantly, question which needs to be addresses is this. How is possible to repatriate individuals who has contravened the laws of foreign state, when their rogue countries refuses their reentry?
Now just tell me how does dropping Mr. Garcia off in Cuba without regard for his safety and security solve the problem? It seems like an unintelligible and rather buffoonish proposition on your part. Sir we are talking about a human being here, and not some wild beast from the jungle. Your manner of dealing with the issue seems rather dehumanizing and animalistic.
It must not be forgotten that the victim in this whole fiasco is Mr. Garcia,
and certainly not the Barbadian people or their government. So therefore, I believe it is within the interest of the Barbadian government and its people, to work for solutions which ensure Mr. Garcia’s Dignity, Liberty and Humanity. How comes there isn’t a greater moral outcry from the Barbadian populace for this atrocious travesty of justice? Does this latent inaction on the part of the Barbadian people say something about the principles and convictions which directs they thinking?
The Barbados court says that he is being held illegally. What debate is possible? Why isn’t he free?
The Barbados government and its people are equally complicit in the
mistreatment of Mr. Garcia. Now, when a people observe their government acting in ways which undermine the principles of the institution of democracy, their have a right to demand answers. One doesn’t necessary have to wait upon a judicial system or a legislative body to take action, civil protest can force a government into action.
The reason why the Barbados government remaines unmoved in this case stems from the inaction of the Barbadian people my friend.
Just take a closer look at Northern Africa just to see what I’m talking about.
@BFP’s Robert NSI; – “complement” was right 1st time as in synergy or it can also mean how many staff are part of an entity, ‘compliment’ is what Ian deserves for awakening Bajans’ sensibilities to a serious Human Rights matter!
@ Son of Spam
I think that it is rather disingenuous and utterly ridiculous for you sir, to express the view that Mr. Ross haven’t as yet,done a good enough job to get the word out regarding Mr. Garcia’s confinement. I’ve followed Mr. Robert Ross vehement efforts to get the word out regarding the injustice Mr. Garcia has and continues to suffer at the hands of an unconscionable government.
And you want us to believe that what he has written thus far is all but senseless. I think that Mr. Ross has done a magnificent job thus far, in informing the general public about this case. And it is because of Mr. Ross’s efforts that I was made aware of Mr. Garcia’s plight. On the other hand, I haven’t seen much in the way of writing from Mr. Bourne in informing the general public in regards to Mr. Garcia’s situation.
Which leads me to ask that question, what has Mr. Iran Bourne done to rekindle a renewed interest in this case that Mr. Ross hasn’t done thus far? Maybe I’m missing something here, because I have seen nothing thus far from Mr. Bourne in terms of writing that has invoke a conscious response from the general public. To be quite honest, I’ve been on this page for little under a year now. And I can’t recall Mr. Bourne writing much of anything with respect to Mr. Garcia’s happenstance.
http://www.bajanreporter.com/2012/04/set-free-barbados-ex-convict-as-immigration-status-decided-unitednations-jail-cuba-humanrights-travyonmartin-vigilante/
Telegraph stole the Travyon Martin part and did not even attribute me, there was no Overseas Press at gathering with UN Commissioner, where it was I who asked about Garcia
I don’t like SOS’ method of handling Garcia but I appreciate his attempted defence
@Fenty;
Hi ‘robert ross’ (I read same kind of grammar – ASTROTURF alert??)
i swear to God, i will trust Raul Garcia before trusting at least 800 of the lawyers in bim, definitely more than a politician, am sure you see where am going with this, if we can only get the integrity legislation act passed and implemented most of the lawyers and politicians will be in jail, because we know what they do and what they capable of, Garcia made a mistake and is still paying for it. The thiefing, corrupt lawyers and politicians in bim do so on a daily basis, because they know they will never get caught and never pay. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND OBSERVING