Press release Shame on Buju 01/02/2005 The man, most probably 40 years old, not that tall and rather shy, is named Brian. This is a fake name; because he wants to hide his true identity since his life is threatened and he is protected by a special programme. Brian lived in a house in Stony Hill, Kingston, and on the morning of July 24th, he was home with another friend of his, gay as well, and four workers of his little gardening firm. They were waiting for the van to bring them at work. Around 10 o' clock, thirteen people, all of them Rastafarians, got on his patio that was looked and protected with a nest. They were yelling at them "Battyman, come out of your yard, we are going to kill you today". These screams were coming from Buju Banton's yard and Buju himself was there with them. The group grabbed one of the workers and got him on the wall, with a gun in the head. They said that if people in the house would have not opened the door, they would have gotten him shot. But when they opened the door, there started hell. The group grabbed all the six men and they got them with their head towards the wall; they have been kicked rather badly and Brian has even felt down and Buju went on kicking him even more on the head and on the face. "We don't want any battyboys in our area". He was wearing a pair of boots. Somebody in the neighbourhood has called the police so the Rastafarians thought it would have been better to leave. The police arrived and got the facts and went off telling they would have caught the guilty ones. After the police has left, eight-nine Rastafarians came back and started fighting again with the six men, the latter, they said, being guilty of having called the police and having named Buju Banton. There we have the police, again. Right after the police has gone, the Rastafarians started again a new raid: this time towards the house furniture that has been bought outside the house, to be stolen. But this time, the police was hidden right there and got them: the Rastafarians said that the furniture was already outside the house because the six men wanted to clean the house. The police collected the witness and started to look for Buju Banton, that could not be found anywhere. Brian has been bought to the hospital where doctors found he had two injuries and a severe loss of blood in the left eye. After what has happened, Brian has found help at J-flag, the Jamaican homosexual association, that has housed him for two weeks; right after, afterwards he has moved house. The police has officially reached Brian and has asked him to take off all the accuses towards Buju, in order not to ruin his career. At the mean time, Banton was performing in Greece in a show. During the first days of September, Brian wasn't still able to see properly and got again in the hospital (He has been in for two months, before) and has had three operations that did not succeed properly. His left eye is injured and he will always be blind. Brian has not worked since that day and has spent S180 000 (Like US 3 000) to get cared, since the health care service is not for free, in Jamaica. He is still hiding and he is scared of being caught since he gets intimidations basically everyday of the week. A follower has asked Brian to take off the accuse acts, in exchange of money. Right now, Brian is defended by Nancy Anderson, head lawyer of the Independent Council of Human Rights, since the process has been cancelled already for three times. Brian is always accompanied by other people during the accuse act; he cannot give his phone number neither see nor visit relatives and friends. The police called an accusation act towards Banton but said they could not find him; even if Banton has performed at Rebel Salute. On Wednesday, Brian will come to the best doctors we found so we will see if he can sort out the deal of his eye. The money to help him comes from the fund-raising of SOS Jamaica and Amnesty International and when the process will be over, Brian will also be helped to leave Jamaica. This would be a pain for him since he has never left the island and never wished to do so. But we are not able to give him peace, nor in Kingston nor anywhere else. I don't want to comment this fact, on any way. Nevertheless, one love Maria Carla Vedi anche: http://www.sosjamaica.org Spedisci questa pagina / Send this page / Envíar este pagina