(CMC) – The St Lucia-based Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) says more than a month after Grenadian Jonty Robinson’s body was found on a popular beach “there appears to be little progress on the case”.
Robinson, an openly gay man, was found dead on BBC Beach in the Morne Rouge area, south of Grenada’s capital. The authorities have ruled his death a murder following an autopsy.
Last month, Grenadian Police Force said they had no information linking his death to racism or homophobia as claimed on social media.
Media reports in Grenada said that a prominent United States filmmaker and actor as well as a US-based Grenadian born adviser and publicist had offered a reward of US$100,000 to anyone helping solve the 24-year-old’s murder.
In its statement, the ECADE said Robinson’s death has caused distress among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in Grenada and across the eastern Caribbean, “emphasising underlying tensions in the region.
“More than a month after his death, there appears to be little progress on the case. The few updates that have been made available to the public have revealed little urgency in seeking a perpetrator or motive for his murder.
“Visible and robust action on this case to find and hold the murderer accountable would signal that every life matters, including LGBTQ+ lives,” ECADE said.
The Grenada-based GrenCHAP Inc, a non-governmental organisation working to promote sexual reproductive health and human rights, with a focus on marginalised populations, said “we cannot fathom the contribution that his family, his community, Grenada and the world will never realise.
“This is the cost that we must keep in mind as we continue to advocate for justice for Jonty, who during his life was subject to continuous abuse and denied the protection rightfully due to every Grenadian, because of his sexuality.”
Both ECADE and GrenCHAP said the state has an obligation to protect, respect and fulfil the right of every Grenadian citizen to life, personal liberty, expression, protection from inhuman treatment and protection under the law, among other rights.
“There is additional responsibility of authorities where lives, particularly of gay men, are at risk, whether through public, domestic or intimate-partner violence, fuelled by public policy and discriminatory laws,” says ECADE’s executive director, Kenita Placide.
“We, at GrenCHAP and ECADE, are hopeful that the police will work assiduously to ensure the safety of citizens, especially gay men and other LGBTQ+ people; to cut through the noise and fear to resolve this case professionally and swiftly.”
