A group of youths are claiming they were tortured by police officers at the training Academy in Belmopan on Friday night. And if you are wondering, these are the same youths who were detained along with Brian "Yellow Man" Audinett for stoning police officers during Friday's riot on Independence Hill. But while the Leader of the Opposition went personally to see that 'Yellow Man' was released and sent on his way to Belize City, this small group of young men say they stayed in lockdown for 11 hours and felt the wrath of police which meant pepper spray, batons, and helmets. They told Keith Swift their story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
If you thought actions like this would go unpunished, then you thought wrong. While the members of the riot squad showed considerable restraint when they were on the frontline, these young men say that when the cameras were turned off, they were made to pay doubly for every audacious act on the hill.
Tyrone Neal,
"The man them dropped me on my back, I dropped on my spine and thing. The doctor said nothing no really happened to my spine. It is not fractured or anything but it is bruised up bad. I really can't sit down. When I lie, it takes about half hour to get up. It is a problem to bathe because I really can't put on my clothes. That is basically my injuries and thing."
Keith Swift,
And you have problems walking?
Tyrone Neal,
"I really can't do anything because of my back. I really can't do anything right now."
Alvin Cumberbatch,
"I have my head bust open. The whole of my hand was knocked open. The man emptied a whole can of pepper spray in my face."
Dwight Faber,
"I just got fractured on my hand and a bust head, just that. Then my hand is still swollen from Friday. You can still see how it is swollen from Friday."
Barton Garoy,
"I just got knocked on my hand and by my jaw which is still swollen. Over my shoulder the man they knocked me in my face and pepper sprayed we and thing. The whole of Belize were bombing them so we don't know why only we they wanted to punk. They took they frustration out on us."
Dwight Faber,
"Look on my hand right here, it is still bruised up."
Keith Swift,
What were they beating you with?
Dwight Faber,
"With clubs, with guns, their helmets, their shields, and anything they had. They pepper sprayed our eyes so we couldn't see anything."
Alvin Cumberbatch,
"When I identified who was beating me, one of them came and just put the pepper spray in my eye which just blocked out my vision so I couldn't see because I was just calling out all the names of people who were beating me."
Keith Swift,
How long did this go on?
Alvin Cumberbatch,
"For at least a 20 minutes they were beating us. First we were in a truck and then we ended up in another one."
Dwight Faber,
"They beat us out of one and into another one."
The youths who are from the south side of Belize City claim they went to Belmopan to peacefully protest. Eric Garoy says the peace protest turned to this war when the police denied them access to what they see as their House, the House of Representatives.
Eric Garoy,
"We went out there to protest for our own rights. For six years we haven't had any jobs. No PUP man has come into our constituency and told us they have something for us to do. None at all. Only Mr. Finnegan helps us out and it is only because he is a part of the UDP they are saying we are defending him. But we are fighting for our rights."
Keith Swift,
So you guys did not go out there as UDP supporters?
Eric Garoy,
"We went out there on our own. We didn't even go on a UDP bus. To tell you the truth, we went there on a PUP bus. We went to fight for our rights because there are no jobs and no Ministers aren't giving us anything. Stop the play because taxes are rising. How are we supposed to live out here? Stop playing out here boss man."
And if they were stoning at the police, which some of these youths openly admit, they maintain it doesn't justify the torture.
Dwight Faber,
"We know we were wrong for what we did but they didn't have to do us that. They could have just charged us. We were demonstrating same way against the PUP because we don't like what they are doing. We know we are wrong for stoning the police but I want to know why they didn't want to the crowd go up to the House in Belmopan. That is where we wanted to go so we want to know why they didn't want us to go up there."
Keith Swift,
But why were you stoning the police?
Dwight Faber,
"Because we wanted to go upstairs. Upstairs is where we wanted to reach."
And just what would have happened if these youths were allowed inside the National Assembly building?
Alvin Cumberbatch,
"We would have stated our opinion on what was going on in the country and thing like that. We weren't going to harm anybody."
Keith Swift,
So you weren't going to try and attack the Prime Minister?
Alvin Cumberbatch,
"No man because we were only going to lose. We can't beat the law. That is the law, we could never do that. We just wanted to meet the Prime Minister you check and state our opinion like anybody else like Mr. Frazer or anyone who goes into the House."
Keith Swift,
Will you give up trying to be heard?
Alvin Cumberbatch,
"Well we have to try because we can't just sit down and take it."
Tyrone Neal,
"We have to stand up because we can't take this no more. We don't have no jobs. Things are getting harder in Belize. The government is pressuring us right now and it is like we can't do nothing because if we don't go up there and stand up for our rights, we will just stand here and kill up one another and thing and that makes no sense man."
The young men were treated at the Belmopan Hospital and they say that union officials took them there after they were given bail at around 10 on Friday Night. They all have medico-legal forms confirming their injuries but have yet to file a complaint with the Police's Internal Affairs Division. All the youths will be arraigned in court tomorrow on various charges including throwing missiles and disorderly conduct.
