We have highlighted today a document
titled “Written Evidence Submitted by the Cayman Islands Human
Rights Commission (“the Commission”) to the House of Commons
Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry on the future of the UK Overseas
Territories”.

The Cayman Islands Human Rights
Commission “was established under section 116 of the Cayman Islands
Constitution Order 2009. The Commission’s primary responsibility is
to promote understanding and observance of human rights.”

The document lists “Current priority
areas of concern:

 Prisons

o Sub-standard prison conditions

o Overcrowding

 Immigration and refugees

o Processing of migrants at sea and
ashore

o A blanket policy for detention of
migrants and asylum seekers

o A lack of sufficient access to legal
representation and lengthy appeals process

o Concerns regarding potential breaches
of international treaties including United

Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime (human trafficking)

and The International Convention for
the Safety of Life at Sea.

 Equality and LGBT+ rights

o Discrimination against LGBT+ persons
in the Cayman Islands’ legal framework is

extensive. There is little political
will to remedy ongoing breaches of the

requirements of the ECHR, indeed an
overwhelming majority of Cayman’s

Members of the Legislative Assembly do
not support the reform of discriminatory

legislation.

 Lawful Administrative Action

o Failure to ensure human rights
compliant policies are written, published, and

adhered to (including giving reasons
for public officials’ decisions).”

The document then goes into detailed
specifics under the specific headings of Prisons, Immigration,
Equality and LGBT+ Rights and Lawful Administrative Action

The document does make a good case and
is presented very well.

However, it is of course totally one
sided, biased, and takes no account of the 'rights' the Cayman
Islands people who have lived and enjoyed the peaceful and harmonious
Christian life with its values from the times long ago when the first
settlers came here.

The human rights of these people have
been devalued as time marches on.

I can, however, agree completely with
the stance the Commission has taken with the sub- standard prison
conditions and the ignorance of the various reports from the UK HM
Prisons Inspections by successive Cayman governments.

“The overall fabric of the buildings
remains in dire condition with urgent investment needed,” the
document states and almost echoes the findings of the last Inspection
executed in 2015.

I was going to write an Editorial
headed “What has the Cayman Islands governments done to improve
prisoner accommodation since the 2015 HMIP’s Inspection?

Then you would have an entirely blank
“The Editor speaks”.

That is my Right as Editor-in- Chief.

It is also my Right to change my mind.
I have made the point, however. I am Human.