23rd Session, November 5, 2015
As delivered by Divya Khosla
The United States warmly welcomes the Saint Lucian delegation to the UPR Working Group.
We note certain actions taken to reform the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force since the alleged extrajudicial killings in 2010-2011.
We remain deeply concerned about the apparent continued impunity for officers who may have been involved in the alleged extrajudicial killings, and the resulting lack of accountability and diminished respect for law enforcement and the rule of law.
We would like to ask the delegation to comment on the steps taken on these cases, including whether any special investigative committee has been established, as noted in the Prime Minister’s March address, to investigate these allegations and implement the recommendations of the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security report.
We also remain concerned about the criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults, which contributes to pervasive discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons.
Given these concerns, we recommend that Saint Lucia:
- Provide oversight to ensure investigation and prosecution as appropriate against police officers alleged to have been involved in extrajudicial killings.
- Establish a special committee to oversee the implementation of the IMPACS report recommendations.
- Decriminalize same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults by reforming the penal code.