Family members of
Michael Misick, former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands have
broken their silence and are appealing for local and international
support to have him returned home.
In a letter sent
exclusively to the SUN newspaper, one of Misick's sisters Alith Misick
Gardiner, said her brother is "crying out for help" as he was
arrested unlawfully and his human rights are being violated.
She stated: "Mike is
being made to suffer in one of the worst prisons in the world even
though he was never charged with any crime. He left the island without
being questioned by Special Investigation and Prosecution. The Attorney
General and SIPT representation to the Brazilians that he escaped lawful
custody in order not to avoid being prosecuted is a blatant
misrepresentation of the facts. He has no right being detained in a
maximum security prison. To be placed in a maximum security prison is
wrong he was never convicted of any crime in Brazil or the Turks and
Caicos Islands. His being placed in such a prison clearly shows that FCO
and SIPT will stoop to any level to humiliate the former Premier."
The 46-year-old Misick
is
presently being held in a maximum security jail in Brazil after being
arrested there on Friday December 7th 2012 on an Interpol red notice and
a warrant from the Brazil Supreme Court.
He has not been
charged with any offences in the Turks and Caicos Islands, but he is
wanted only for questioning by a British-appointed Special Investigation
and Prosecution Team (SIPT) which is based in the Turks and Caicos
Islands and is headed by Helen Garlick who once worked with the Serious
Fraud Office in the UK.
The former premier's
sister said the Misick family "truly believes as others do that all
Mike wanted was a fair trial by jury of his peers, with no handpicked
Judge and under the same criminal regime that was in place at the time
SIPT said he committed these offences".
The SUN understands that the Misick family met over the weekend before deciding to issue the statement.
In her letter, Alith
added: " We all saw how he was treated after being him arrested by
Brazilian Federal police with two SIPT officers in Brazil ; we said
nothing hoping that this time the British, FCO and SIPT would act in a
professional manner and ensure that his human rights was protected and
bring him home. To date no one from the FCO, the Governor's Office or
SIPT has offered our family the very basic information; as to his
detention, where he is being kept and what condition he is being held
under, why are we not allowed to call him and why is he not allowed to
call us. It is shameful that what we know we have learned through the
media.
A letter has since
surfaced with shocking information about the conditions he is presently
in, this should never have happened to him or anyone. Some wonder if the
writing was his, we can confirm it is his writing."
She added: "If the
FCO, the Governor and SIPT are so sure that the evidence is overwhelming
in their favor why have they gone to such extreme to rig the outcome of
any prosecution. Mike is crying out for help. How can anyone fight
against a country like Britain whose leaders are hell bent on convicting
him at all cost. One wonders would his side of the story ever be heard
and could justice ever be served under these conditions? Would Britain
or Brazil for that matter have stuck one of their former leaders in a
prison that the UN has condemned as unfit for humans occupation,
particularly where that leader is only being detained on the basis of
allege non-violent crimes. Great Britain is a member of the United
Nations Security Council, should they have been involved in such an act?
It is my view that every man is innocent until proven otherwise."
Misick, an
attorney-at-law, has been living outside of the country for about two
years and on the basis of alleged political persecution in the Turks and
Caicos Islands, he sought political asylum in Brazil where he has been
living since October 2011 and had legal permission to reside and work
until April 2013.
His request for
political asylum was denied in November 2012 and he was in the process
of appealing the decision when he was arrested by Brazilian police in
association with British lawmen who work for the SIPT.
On the day of his
arrest he said that he indicated to a SIPT police officer Anthony Noble,
that he wanted to return home to the Turks and Caicos Islands to face
justice, but this request was denied.
He has since issued a
hand-written letter from his maximum security cell, asking for local,
regional and international assistance in securing his release from
Brazilian jail so that he will be allowed to return to the Turks and
Caicos Islands to be questioned by the SIPT.
The letter from his
sister continued: "We saw major changes to our laws and the criminal
justice system in the Turks and Caicos Islands over the past three
years. These laws we believe were put in place so that the British
Government and their Special Investigation Team (SIPT) can secure
convictions of persons who were accused by SIPT and not to benefit the
general public nor are they in the public interest. How it is that these
laws are backward looking and are designed specifically to make it
easier to prosecute the former premier, his ministers and others? Aware
of the many changes being made to the system of Justice in the Turks and
Caicos Islands, the former premier knew that he would not have been
afforded a fair trial, his fear was amplified by the remarks made by
Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands, the overseas British Minister
Bellingham, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Helen
Garlick of SIPT. They all made statements to the effect that the former
premier and others are guilty and would be convicted. This is the
reason he decided not to return home until he can be assured a fair
trial by a jury of his peers, anyone who knows former Premier must know
that must have been the hardest thing he had to do, that is stay away
from his home the place he love so much."
She added: "
The
UK authorities are grateful to their Brazilian counterparts for their
cooperation." SIPT press release reads, does this gratefulness, one
wonders extend to the UK complicity in the condition with which the
former premier has been detained for the past three weeks.
I call on all Human Right Activist everywhere and the Human
Rights Commission of the Turks and Caicos Islands to speak out and
to look into this situation. I call on all God fearing Turks and Caicos
Islanders to speak out against this abuse."
The former premier
hails from a prominent and influential family which has featured
significantly in the politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands for
decades, dating back to their father and patriarch Charles Misick, a
brother Washington Misick who was a former Chief Minister and is now the
Minister of Finance; another brother Queen's Counsel Ariel Misick, one
of brightest and most respected lawyers in the Caribbean. Misick's
nephew DonHue Gardiner is presently the Minister of Immigration and his
cousin Akeirra Misick is the Deputy Premier of the Turks and Caicos
Islands.
