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Petition
Amnesty International petition against jamaican homophobic laws 10/05/2007 The Right Honorable Portia Simpson-Miller Prime Minister of Jamaica Office of the Prime Minister Jamaica House 1 Devon Road Kingston 6 JAMAICA Dear Right Honorable Portia Simpson-Miller We are Italian citizens concerned about the ongoing situation of discrimination and violence perpetuated against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Jamaica. According to reports from domestic and international human right organizations ,such as Amnesty International, gay men and lesbian women are subject to vigilante action by members of the community, resulting in beatings and rape. Some of the most prominent activists for LGBT rights, such as the founder of J-Flag Brian Williamson and Steve Harvey of Jamaica Aids Support for Life, have been murdered. In recent times newspapers reported three major incidents of mob violence against alleged homosexuals. On St. Valentine’s Day a crowd of more than 200 chased and threatened three men, who had to take refuge into a pharmacy in the Half-Way Tree area of Kingston. A similar incident involving 30-40 persons chasing alleged homosexuals occurred April 2 at the Montego Bay Nite Out Carnival. On Easter Sunday (8 April) an angry mob disrupted a funeral service in a church in Mandeville, throwing stones and bottles, because some of the participants were thought to be homosexuals and/or crossdressers. Finally, last aggression was last week in Falmouth where a gay has been beaten and hospitalized. All of this takes place in a climate of extreme homophobia where many popular Jamaican artists sing openly about maiming and killing homosexuals. We urge you, as a leader, to publicly condemn these acts of violence, to call on the police to investigate speedily and thoroughly those incidents, and to send a strong message that abuses against LGBT people will not be tolerated anymore. In accordance with the international obligations stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in the American Convention on Human Rights, Jamaican authorities should send a clear message to society that discrimination against sexual minorities will not be tolerated and that violent episodes will be fully prosecuted. Such assaults are both human rights violations and a threat to the rule of law in Jamaica. We urge you to work closely with human rights defenders and groups representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Jamaica to find solutions to prevent these episodes from occurring again. We also urge you to use your power to call for law reforms, including the repeal of the Jamaican sodomy statutes (Art. 76 and 79 of the Jamaican Offenses against the Person Act), and the adoption of additional legal protections that would protect LGBT people from discrimination. Sincerely, 
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