E. Communication No. 269/1987, Delroy Prince v. Jamaica (views adopted on 30 March 1992, at the forty-fourth session) Submitted by; Delroy Prince Alleged victim; The author State party; Jamaica Date of communication: 15 December 1987 Date of decision on admissibilitv; 19 October 1989 The Human Bights Committee, established under article 28 of the International Covenant on Civil ana Political Eights, Meeting on 30 March 1992, Having concluded its consideration of communication No. 269/1987, submitted to the Human Eights Committee by Mr. Delroy Prince under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Having taken into account all written information made available to it by the author of the communication and by the State party, Adopts its views under article 5, paragraph 4, of the Optional Protocol. Facts as submitted by the author 1. The author of the communication is Delroy Prince, a Jamaican citizen currently awaiting execution at St. Catherine District Prison, Jamaica. He claims to be the victim of a violation of his human rights by Jamaica. 2.1 The author states that he and three others were arrested and charged with the murder of a young girl in 1980, but claims to be innocent of the charge. He was convicted and sentenced to death on 8 March 1983, while his codefendants were acquitted. The Court of Appeal in Jamaica dismissed his appeal on 25 July 1985. 2.2 In 1986, a warrant for the execution of the author was issued, but a stay was granted. After the office of the Governor-General had transmitted new evidence, a retrial was requested. The Court of Appeal did not, however, grant the Governor-General's request. A petition for special leave to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was then filed on the author's behalf; on 15 December 1987, the Judicial Committee refused special leave to appeal. Towards the end of 1987, a second warrant for the author's execution was issued, and another last-minute stay was granted. Subsequently a petition for mercy was submitted to the Governor-General, requesting a commutation of the death sentence. 2.3 The author alleges that during pretrial detention he was severely beaten by the arresting police officers, to whom he refused to make a statement; this allegation was before the Court of first instance, but was rejected. The author's girlfriend, who he claims would have been able to provide an alibi -242-