Does Amnesty International support the Grenada 17 and the events of 19 October 1983?
” Amnesty International does not support any political party or individual person. The events of 19 October 1983 were tragic and our sympathies are with all those who lost their lives, lost loved ones or were wounded in the violence. The summary execution of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and others was a criminal act for which the perpetrators should be brought to justice and held to account. However, the trial of the Grenada 17 cannot be deemed fair and is therefore inherently unreliable as a fact-finding mechanism. “Does Amnesty International believe the Grenada 17 to be innocent?” We do not take a position on the guilt or innocence of the Grenada 17. Amnesty International believes that the right to a fair trial is absolute. The Grenada 17 did not receive a fair trial and the proceedings against them were inadequate to ascertain their guilt or innocence. “But the 17 received mercy when their death sentences were commuted. Why should they receive mercy again?” Amnesty International do
