Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee says that the recent break out of nine inmates from the Mazaruni prison was more than just a prison escape. Insisting that something sinister played out, he promised that investigators would get to the bottom of it.
The Home Affairs Minister also confirmed reports received by Stabroek News that some of the prisoners just before the jail-break had staged a protest complaining about the quality of their food in particular a diet of callaloo.
All nine of the inmates were recaptured within two weeks of their escape and are to be charged sometime this week.
Rohee told Stabroek News in an interview yesterday that incidentally, in 1999 prior to a prison breakout at the Lusignan penitentiary, prisoners there had complained about callaloo being served to them. “So there seems to be a big issue with this ‘callaloo’ at prisons and we have to get to the bottom of it,” the Minister warned.
Last week Rohee established a board of inquiry to conduct an official investigation into the circumstances surrounding the jail-break on Friday January 12. The minister’s move is pursuant to the Prisons Service Act, a statement from the Government Information Agency (GINA) had stated.
Government had promised full investigations into all of the recent jail-breaks, but little has resulted from these as prisoners continue to escape and no one has been held accountable.
Six persons were appointed by the minister to serve on the board including former acting police commissioner Floyd McDonald, crime prevention specialist Errol Van Nooten and Prison Services Assistant Superintendent Rev Fay Clarke.
The board is expected to enquire into several issues. The inquiry will be done with special reference to those that may be classified as dangerous prisoners. Rohee told Stabroek News yesterday that the board has begun its work and is expected to submit its report by February 5.
Additionally, the police force has also launched an investigation into the break-out and that report is due to be completed by the end of the week.
Rohee said that findings from both reports would be studied and appropriate action would be taken.
Around 4.15 pm on January 12, nine prisoners escaped during a routine feeding exercise. Those who escaped were Dineshwar Sooklall, Kenneth Richardson, Asrudden Khan C/D “Rocky,” Anil Sanichar, Ryan Rambharose, Trevor McLean, C/D “Footprint,” Alvin Shivnarine, Randolph Rodrigues, and Royston Reid, C/D “Knuckles.” Sooklall, Richardson, Khan, Rodrigues, Reid and McLean were all serving sentences for manslaughter; and Sanichar and Shivnarine were serving sentences for murder, while Reid was serving time for trafficking and Rambharose for larceny.
Reports are that the inmates overpowered two guards at the brick prison. The men then made their way out of the gate to the fence, where they were spotted by a guard, who raised an alarm. They threatened to chop the guard and then they scaled the fence. Immediately after the alarm had been raised a joint services response team was activated and within two hours there were between 20 and 30 ranks from the police and prison service on the ground. There were around 67 ranks on the ground yesterday.
Meanwhile, in a letter to this newspaper one of the escapees wrote that immediately following the jail-break, over a dozen inmates were taken to the Camp Street prison. Stabroek News was told that among those who were transferred to Camp Street were eyewitnesses to the break-out. According to the inmate’s letter their escape was not a premeditated act but rather a spontaneous uprising out of frustration, neglect and human rights violations. The inmate said that on the same day of the jail-break, during the lunch period dozens of inmates protested against the quality of their food. He noted that their concerns were ignored by the officer in charge. In the afternoon of the same day the prisoners were served the same meal and as such they decided to break out.
The prisoner in his letter noted too that they were being denied certain basic things such as toilet paper, soap and were sometimes beaten.
When asked for a comment on the inmate’s complaints, Rohee said that they are prisoners and should not expect to live in five-star hotels.
The Minister asserted however that while they are prisoners their basic human rights should not be violated. The minister said that he has reactivated the prison visiting committees and through this body he would be informed about some of the problems facing prisoners.
Rohee said however, that he received a report from the Mazaruni committee for last year but the report did not state that the prisoners had a problem with a diet of callaloo. He said complaints of poor prison conditions and food were mentioned.
