TRNUC calls for a stop to social media bullying of persons who come before it |10 March 2020

A family persecuted for its political belief and for detesting Albert Rene was yesterday before the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) to recount its political persecution and the suffering of its children after their father was allegedly poisoned.

The Commission also heard more witnesses in the case of Damendra Eulentin and Jimmy Bell.

But before the start of yesterday’s hearings, the chairperson of the Commission, Gabrielle McIntyre, noted that the increasing number of complainants and witnesses who are opting to interact with the commissioners in closed sessions is unfortunately in direct response to the bullying on social media of persons appearing before the Commission and during proceedings of the Commission.

“The Commission would like to underscore that while it respects the right of persons to criticise and comment on its work, the overall objective of the Commission of achieving reconciliation of the people of Seychelles through a shared understanding and appreciation of the context of past human rights abuses is being seriously undermined by bullying on the social media”.

She said the Commission would be contacting persons who through social media are harming its processes and making a direct plea to those persons to show respect for all people coming before the Commission and for the processes of the Commission.

“The Commission’s remarks are not just directed at disparaging commentaries made in response to public servants who have come before the Commission but are also directed to those persons who are harassing and bullying persons named as perpetrators.

The Commission is requesting all the people of Seychelles to respect the right to dignity of all persons and not to judge those accused of perpetrating offences when the circumstances and the context of their alleged perpetration has not yet been brought to light.

“Bullying and harassment on social media is not creating an environment where persons accused of carrying out human rights abuses would have confidence of a fair hearing before this Commission or being inspired to make a full and frank disclosure before it.”

Ms McIntyre went on to further underscore the ultimate goal of the Commission which is reconciliation of the people of Seychelles and in particular reconciliation between victims and perpetrators.

She has called on the people of Seychelles to support the Commission in achieving this vital objective going forward.

Benjamin Pierre-Louis, a torture victim from Praslin, recounts his ordeal

A complainant from Baie Ste Anne Praslin who was running a petrol station as well as a car hire and mechanical garage with a partner, Robert Andre, recounted how he was severely beaten up on September 21, 1986.

“At around 10 or 11pm on that day, somebody knocked on my door and on opening, I came face to face with army and PMU officials who informed me that I was wanted at the police station.

‘’When I came out I realised other officers, around nine of them, had surrounded my house. I boarded their vehicle and they took me down to the police station at Grand Anse where a dagger and machine gun was pushed on each side of my throat. The leader of the group threatened to take me to the Vallée de Mai, set me on fire and shoot me several times. Then his officers started to beat me, burnt me with cigarettes, burnt my beard, hit me with their feet, hit me in my mouth with the butt of their guns breaking my teeth and tearing my lips until I fell to the ground soaked in blood. The ordeal lasted around two hours.”

He cited different officers implicated by their numbers and noted that at one point the leader of the group phoned somebody to state that I had been arrested for harassing his soldiers.

“Gradually, one by one, they left the scene leaving me on the floor when the leader of the group threatened me with deportation stating that if ever I was to return, he would always have his gun ready. He continued to beat me while I was on the floor until they put me in a cell on a small bunk. I remember hearing voices a short while later and they came back with Antonio Morin, someone I knew, but he was not beaten at the same station but he too was covered in blood and his head was swollen and he was thrown in the same cell. I gave him the bunk as he was more covered in blood than me while I dragged myself to the floor. When I called out for some water I was told to drink my blood,” Mr Pierre-Louis recalled. He recounted that they remained in the cell the whole night until new police officers came the next morning and they asked to see a doctor.

He recounted how soldiers and PMU officers accompanied them to the doctor who recommended they be transferred to Mahé in view of the extent of their injuries. He said they were flown just the two of them by plane to Mahé as other passengers “refused to fly in the same plane with criminals” and this was because a lot of stories have been circulating about them. They remained in hospital for a week but for the first three days they were guarded by police. Following that, he was afraid and felt threatened staying overnight on Praslin to tend to his businesses. He sold some assets and left the remainder in the hands of his proxy Ansley Lesperance. He too was held at one point by the army but was released unharmed. Mr Pierre-Louis said he feared being beaten once again and at one point he decided to join his sister in Canada and he did so in January 13, 1987.

Mr Pierre-Louis also witnessed the shooting of Davidson Chang-Him and told the Commission about the killing. Before that he went on to tell the Commision how after two years that he had left for Canada, the petrol station business was acquired by government, how his shop, mechanic workshop and property were also acquired and how he tried but have until now not received a cent for the properties and personal expenses put into them. He also told the Commission about the process to obtain political asylum in Canada, his interaction with Amnesty International when he got there, how all his documents were destroyed in a fire a year later which ravaged the block of flats where he was living in Canada.

Mr Pierre-Louis also informed the Commission that there are police officers who are willing to come forward and testify in the tortured beating case in which they were passive witnesses.

Asked why he was severely beaten Mr Pierre-Louis said he had no idea but he said he had befriended a lot of officials of both the army and government and he was a supporter of the party in power even though he did not take part in any political activities. But wasn’t there anybody to whom he could complain about the tortured beating and ill-treatment? Mr Pierre-Louis said at that time it was a waste of time to go to the police as they never interfered.

While in Canada Mr Pierre-Louis opened a small carpet cleaning business moving on to general cleaning which he carried on until he stopped recently for medical reason. Mr Pierre-Louis is still living in Canada 33 years on and he will be in the country until June 10. The Commission has promised to continue investigating his case and called in a number of people to give evidence as well.

A case of political persecution, harassment, alleged poisoning

The second complainant to be heard by the Commission yesterday was Gaetane Morel who was accompanied by his sons. She recounted to the Commission what happened to Hage Pierre, better known as Tito, herself and her children. She recounted that Mr Pierre, her partner, never supported France Albert Rene and she explained that to them what Albert Rene did June on 5, 1977 constituted a criminal act and treason under the Constitution of Seychelles.

“It all started after the coup d’etat when like many families ours no longer felt safe in our own house. Militia officials were always going round our house and a car with number plate 1122 was seen parked near our house every evening and each time the occupants called Tito’s name,” Ms Morel explained.

She said once Tito recognised the voice of Ogilvy Berlouis, the then Minister for Defence, calling out his name. Ms Morel explained how her then two young sons, terrified, hid under the bed when they heard the name of their father being called. She went on to recount how one day Tito was seen reading one of the MPR opposition movement leaflets at Anse Royale and how Macdonald Marengo, known as Pti Nal who was in charge of the army and supposedly his friend was informed. He later asked Tito for the leaflet which he produced and this was around 7pm that day when Mr Marengo also offered to take him on a ride downtown. But as they neared town he took the road leading to the Bel Eau army headquarters where Mr Marengo called to say that Tito was with him. He was asked that he be taken to the central police station where he was held in police custody.

His family found a lawyer for him the next day but he was charged for treason. During the same time his sister Helda, who had returned from Australia, went to see Minister Berlouis to know why her brother had been held by the police. Ms Morel said nothing transpired from the meeting but Tito’s case was dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence. But he was rearrested and taken back into detention where he was held for eight months at the Union Vale prison. He was questioned on the source of the leaflets. At the end of the eight months he was persuaded to leave the country by Minister Berlouis and Mr Marengo. His sister Helda also insisted that he left the country because his life was in danger but he insisted that being a Seychellois if he was to die he will die here.

During all the happenings Ms Morel was pregnant with her fourth child who was born fine but after five days fell ill and needed blood transfusion before being later diagnosed with cerebral palsy and several other health complications. Meanwhile Tito continued to live his life working together with his brother Holden in a small business which after sometime was forced to close down and Holden sought political asylum in England and Tito was left without a job before securing another job at the then SMB where he remained for six years. But in July 1990, a few days after he had heard that he was going to be sacked, and his boss Mukesh Valabhji had reassured him that he would not lose his job, Tito got sacked for misconduct. He was offered another job at the IOT but he refused before being offered another job by Jean Dingwall. Ms Morel went on to recount Tito’s problems and persecution by the authorities, how he was rearrested and his sudden death 15 months after he lost his job from the SMB.

“He was not ill. He had just come from a funeral wake when he started feeling unwell. His condition deteriorated, he was admitted to hospital where I understand no doctor had previously examined him until I came the next morning and raised my voice calling for a doctor to see him. But he died in the afternoon that day at the age of 40 years,” Ms Morel explained. She told the Commission how her life changed and how she struggled to raise her six children without a proper job but a mere R1900 as assistance and no social aid for her disabled son, how they have known hunger and poverty.

She explained that after Tito’s death there was a lot of talk that he had been poisoned and she explained how she prayed for those responsible to be known and people did come up to her to tell her who was responsible for his death. She also told the Commission the different ways her children and herself were victimised but with her firm belief in God her children have done well in their studies and turned out well in their adult life and are law abiding citizens of this country.  

One of Tito’s son said life was hard for them when growing up and even though they were young they understood what was happening around them and he deplored the hypocrisy of many people around them that they have witnessed. He said he believes their father was a man of principle and he had morals and that was the best thing he had left them.

Talking about pardon he was adamant saying they suffered so much and no one was there to help them. With regard to pardon he said how can the Commission talk about pardon when in the Assembly certain MNAs affirm that the coup d’etat was necessary and that some people needed to suffer.

“Who is the group of people to decide that another group of people need to suffer? Who gave them the right to make others suffer?” he asked.

He said his family never follow any politics because they know what it did to their family.

The Commission has promised to request for Tito’s medical records and pursue investigations in the case and has called on any person who know anything in Tito’s death to come forward and help shed more light on the case.

Nelson Larue a witness in the case of Damendra Eulentin’s death

The Commission had called in Nelson Larue, a cousin of Damendra Eulentin who worked with him on his fishing boats, because he was apparently aware of certain events between March 4 and 5 before his mutilated and tortured body was pulled out of the sea at Providence on March 6, 2007.

Mr Larue explained to the Commission how on their return from a fishing trip around 9am two days before his death, three men were waiting for Damendra in a parked car. Damendra went straight to them, they talked briefly before he returned to the boat. He looked happy and Larue asked him to share his joy and that was when he told him that very soon he was going to acquire a brand new transport but he was secretive about the whole deal. Larue told the Commission how he went back on another fishing trip without Damendra that day because the latter affirmed that he had some business to attend to. After that trip he returned home to rest and the next day he did not see Damendra and left for the fishing trip alone again. Larue said he pondered on Damendra’s affirmation that he would soon get a new transport. He said people who know Damendra were dubious about his relationship with the Jemmy Marengo’s group and told Larue about it but he told them to warn him directly.

Larue affirmed that many people believe that he, Larue, knows a lot more on events leading to his death but Larue stressed that he was revealing only what he knows. But he affirmed that he himself had been threatened with a pistol by Jemmy Marengo in an incident relating to stolen fish traps.

Raymond Louise heard again in the case of Jimmy Bell

In the case of termination of employment of Jimmy Bell, former police commissioner Raymond Louise heard the evidence that was given against him by Mr Bell so he asked for a right to respond and came forward to clarify these issues.

Mr Louise also clarified that like police commissioner Kishnan Labonte affirmed last week, he too did not know anything about the old files relating to cases of disappearances and killings during and after the Coup d’etat. He said he too did not investigate any of the cases and he would not know what happened to those files as his files too had apparently disappeared.

Marie-Anne Lepathy