"*#The report says: "Although the International Press Institute called on the government to begin reform and elimination of criminal defamation laws, the government increased its use of libel laws during the year. In August the government arrested two men for a rap song that attacked Prime Minister Perry Christie in explicit language, held them for 36 hours before release, and continued to investigate them for criminal libel. One of the detainees was an outspoken activist frequently critical of the Christie administration.*"

To us in the Bahamas the pursuit of the two rappers seems "normal" enough, if you can call it "normal", after all they were very disrespectful. But when you look from the outside, it's really very alarming. "Someone was arrested for writing a song???". Think back to when breaking news hit the wire that the all female rock band *Pussy Riot* was arrested in Russia for writing a song unfavourable to the Russian government, what is the difference? Our democracy is looking scarier and scarier under this administration and Jerome Fitzgerald is the scariest proposition to date.

Yeah I agree, "disrespect" is not a crime, I'm referring to the debate that followed where some persons cited the distasteful nature of the song as justification for an arrest. BUT, looking at the same scenario in a communist country suddenly the real sinister nature of the arrest becomes apparent.

The spy bill is just another example of Crooked Christie and Allyson Maynard-Gibson a/k/a the Evil Wicked Witch seeking to trample all over our constitutional rights by suppressing freedom of speech through intimidation and throwing our God-given right to privacy out the window. Small wonder that governments all over the world were aghast upon seeing pictures and/or video of Crooked Christie's recent vulgar middle finger gesture aimed at the almight God above. One can only imagine what the Queen must have thought when she saw Crooked Christie's display of the most unbecoming kind vulgarity. What will this deranged thug do next? Will he next unzip his pants and wave his ding-a-ling at us while attempting to pee on us?! And the fact that his cabinet ministers and all sitting MPs (no matter what their party affiliation) have not called for his resignation is appalling and tantamount to each of them endorsing Crooked Christie's shamefully despicable lude conduct.

Comrades! You Bloggers are so Sugar High to retain what has be one the top five of the worst and most oppressive colonial holdover libel criminal laws on we books to enable the
all powerful political and monies lords to suppress the Free Speech of the working man's and woman's.
Go out to the street corners and chat with the ordinary people cause some bad things remain unchanged from the days the original Bay Street Boys.
I cannot think of a more wicket colonial law - can you?

Amazing that it takes a body of non-Bahamians to point out the flaws and atrocities of our civil rights and judicial, immigration and correctional systems. It seems that our educational system has taught our MAJORITY to allow their RULERS to do exactly as they please.

Yep. Sounds like a report on some socialist country

not like bahamians care anyway

No matter how right these external bodies are, all you have to do is tell the stupid ones that someone is telling us how to run our country, and immediately the el stupidos (PLP supporters) say that everything is all right and these external bodies should mind their own business. It is not hard to convince apathetic Bahamians of anything.

It is soooo sad how right you are. The PLP can EASILY spin this so that their supporters don't give it any credence.

I am surprise birdie hasn't commented yet. Wait for it.

It is good the United States is up on human rights violations in this country and around the world. Now can the same agency tell us what part the CIA is playing in violence and murder in this country? Also why most states in America have changed their laws to charge under age teen offenders for certain crimes as adults and why have the also expanded the number of offences teens can be charged with as adults? Which two presidents were involved in this scheme to lock up hundreds of young black teens and use them on experiments to inject them with chemicals and turn them into 'super predators.?" One president recently stated that once these young (black) kids get the drugs and are sent out on a mission to kill, they don't return until they complete that mission. Another high ranking US official refferred to the young men as 'persons who have been"damaged beyond repair." That they need to be put away or put in institutions (locked up) "where they can be managed." The chemicals they gave these youth have altered their DNA even. And evidence that they are using the drugs here as the Minister of National Security says,' Theye are a group of prolific offenders who are hell bent of wreaking havoc on the rest of society." The commissioner of police says there are some cold blooded, criminals out there who will kill in an instant." And a care giver at Sandilands Rehabilitation Center says, " We do not know what it is, but something gets into their system and sets them off. We can only sedate them and restrain them until the chemical wears off." They were telling mothers of young teens that if they used drugs in the past they were responsible for their children becoming juvenile super predators. Now the books are out confirming that the CIA used these young men as ginuea pigs. It was like giving a dog a piece of clothing and sending them to find the owner. The books are out there and donald trump is only just now finding out about it.

You need a mental evaluation

You are my mental evaluation @ concerned citizen. You read what i wrote and even though you disagreed with what i wrote, you cannot deny it. Go and research it. There's nothing so hurtful as when you look up to someone like a big brother and a protector and they do this to you...But guess what 10 inches of snow fell in the dessert last week..you may not believe that either but things are changing. weeping endureth for a night..but joy comet with the morning light. Judgement is coming still ya c,

Bro your out there , the US murder rate is 9 times lower than ours . I have smoked grass for 40 years as have many of my law abiding peaceful friends that came of age in the 1960,s 70,s .I have never had a physical altercation apart from wrestling as a kid and walk way from loud argumenitive people . We need more spirituality and less of the man made religions .The three Abrahamic religions have had man kind on a 2000 year blood bath trying to prove who has the really god .Quit blaming others , mostly white people , and admit we are a violent society heading to a failed state .Don, t even get me on that spare the rod shit ,,beating the snot out of kids just makes anti social violent adults ..The proof is in the pudding , look at the crime rates in the Nordic states where beating kids is frowned upon and even outlawed and religion is not pushed by the state ,,they have the lowest crime rates in the world ..We need to take blame for where we are not the CIA putting something in the black mans smoke ,,Actually your an idiot boss

Agreed two wrongs do not make one right. But this a clear case of the pot calling the kettle
black, and there are those who take this report as if it is coming out of the mouth of God. While
poor black men are shot in the back like animals in the good old USA. Our offenses pale
in comparison to their many sins.

Hey Birdie, yes the USA is bad, likely the worst offender on many basis. Yet this has no bearing on what the report says. Clearly the people who wrote the report are not out their shooting black men in the streets.

We have serious problems here, and anyone who tries to deflect from these problems just makes matters worse.

You maybe should get a transfusion in hopes of getting that PLP blood out of your system so you can begin to think clearly on issues.

I knew birdie was coming. He/ she don't disappoint me.

The US murder rate is 8 per 100,000 we are running about 35 per 100,000 ..more than some war zones

The US murder rate in America is 8 per 100,000. How much is it around the world..let me guess

Don,t guess look it up and no the CIA is not putting anything in the black mans smoke that makes them uncontrollable killers ,,Mix religion and racism ,either white to black or black to white, and out pops a wacko

There's no need to ask God about details that happened right in front of our eyes, private emails read in parliament, Jerome Fitzgerald loudly declaring he would do more if they tested him, rappers arrested for a song, save the Bays accused of trying to overthrow the government. It happened right in the open for everyone to see.

Smith and a high ranking officer traveling to St Lucia to try to discredit a sitting judge

A 30 year plot to uproot black people who only want a piece of the pie they help to make. and you turn them into blood thirsty killing savages and call to the world and say look at the black people how they killing up one another. How long will they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look? You judgment draweth nigh ole boy

I think we sold ourselves out to Nygard and the like .Bro we are an independent black run country ,take some responsibility and quit blaming whitey ,, are you that easily manipulated

Human rights no longer exist in the Bahamas.

Agreed Chucky, the remarks about "Super Predator" he refers to are attributed to Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady in 1996 in support of policies implemented by her husband and have no relevance to the current report by the State Dept regarding our own dismal human rights record.
We raise all kind of hell when our black brothers in the US get shot by white police but its perfectly OK for our black police to kill and beat Haitians, Jamaicans, Cubans and our own poor black boys aye?

I do not agree with any human being or animals being mistreated. There are Immigration and Police officers who do wrong. But the USA is not without faults. I say again our faults pale in comparison to theirs. Can we write a report on their human rights? All concerned should try
to do better. This is no political football.

Our murder rate is 9 times that of the US , lets not even talk about our pilferage ,teefin ,rate

White collar crime vs blue collar crime..amen

your linear thinking mixed w racism and religious dogma was mildly amuses, but after hearing it daily from so many loudmouths under the tree it has begun to bore me ,and reinforce my believe that we are headed to be another shit hole like Haiti etc , where the Black leaders use religious nonsense ,mystical bullshit ,and whitey is bad to rob us blind like Papa Doc etc while they hob nob w/ the white jet set they claim is killing us

Yes, I agree the US is a bigger violator of human rights when compared to the Bahamas but that still doesn't discount our poor record. It is an accepted norm for young men out of the ghetto when taking into custody to be beaten. There is a total lack of discretion on the part of our police. A group of young men left my job site on the way to the bank and was stop by the police. The police found a joint in the car and even though one of the young men owned up to the joint they held them all over the weekend until they were paraded before the courts.How do you tell these young men, the police is your friend.

Y'all still missing the point still. It is not "our murder rate". it is 'their rate of murdering us", poisoning our young black men, changing their entire personalities their DNA, their ability to exercise proper judgement and setting them up to kill their best friend, their family even, changing laws to send them to jail and damaging their minds 'to the point of being beyond repair,' then telling your white citizens, "don't come to the Bahamas, because they are savages, murderers, robbers and your safety cannot be guaranteed." HOW SAD!

So with this being exposed do we still have to wonder how the guns are getting into this country and all over the Caribbean and into hands of 'young thugs' who don't even travel..PLEEZE!!

One of the books goes on to say what Hillary Clinton would have done if she had been elected president..Starting in Chicago...read it and weep! For the sins of this world.

Jesus wept for his friend Lazarus had died