Jamaica

Human rights defenders in Jamaica continue to face hostility from all directions. They are accused by the authorities of 'illegal interference', and seen by the public as 'trouble makers' or 'agitators'. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press have been threatened, with reports that journalists reporting on the frequent extrajudicial killings that take place in Jamaica, are monitored and threatened with prosecution. Human rights defenders campaigning on the issue of extrajudicial killings reported regularly receive death threats from the police. There is no effective apparatus for reporting violations by the authorities and perpetrators of human rights violations very often benefit from impunity. The Jamaican Police Federation itself has labeled human rights defenders as 'agents of provocation', accusing them of 'maligning the police and the state' and called on the government to penalize rights advocacy as 'sedition'. There have been reports that the conditions of detention in some cases qualify as cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and human rights defenders who have spoken out against these abuses face criminal prosecution.

Human rights defenders who are particularly at risk of violations are those who campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights (LGBT). Homophobia in Jamaican society is rampant and with increasing documented patterns of homophobic violence, human rights defenders are forced to work clandestinely due to increasing mob attacks on the LBGT community and police harassment. Lesbians, gay men and HIV-positive individuals, as well as human rights defenders campaigning for their rights, face verbal and physical harassment (ranging from death threats to brutal assault and murder), denial of access to services (health services and even transportation) and stigmatisation. There is hostility on behalf of the government and an unwillingness to address the issue of violence against the LGBT community.