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.