0.
Communication Ho. 349/1989, Clifton Wright v. Jamaica
(views adopted on 27 July 1992, at the forty-fifth
session)*
Submitted by:
Clifton Wright (represented by counsel)
Alleged victim;
The author
State party:
Jamaica
Pate of communicationi
12 January 1989
Date of decision on admissibilityi
17 October 1990
The Human Rights Committee, established under article 28 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Eights,
Meeting on 27 July 1992,
Having concluded its consideration of communication No. 349/1989,
submitted to the Human Eights Committee on behalf of Mr. Clifton Wright under
the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Bights,
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.
ffac.ts as presented by, the, author
1.
The author of the communication dated 12 January 1989 is Clifton Wright,
a Jamaican citizen currently awaiting execution at St. Catherine District
Prison, Jamaica, He claims to be a victim of violations by Jamaica of
article 14, paragraphs 1 and 3 <b) and (e), of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Eights. He is represented by counsel.
2.1 The author was convicted and sentenced to death on 29 March 1983, in the
Home Circuit Court of Kingston, for the murder of Louis McDonald. The
prosecution's case was that the deceased was last seen by his family in the
afternoon of 28 August 1981. That evening, one Silvester Cole, a witness in
the case, was trying to obtain a lift at a road junction in Kingston. The
author and his codefendant, Winston Phillips, were similarly waiting for a
lift at the same junction. All three were picked up by a yellow Ford Cortina
motor car; Mr. Cole and Mr. Phillips stopped after approximately two miles and
left the vehicle. In court, Mr. Cole testified that after they left the car,
Mr. Phillips remained in the vicinity of the vehicle, looking up and down the
road, while the author stayed in the car and held a gun to the driver's neck.
Realizing that he was witnessing a hold-up, he first walked casually away from
the scene, and only then began running. From a distance, he saw the car
driving away with its lights turned off.
*
An individual opinion submitted by Mr. Bertil Wennergren is
appended.
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