Letter to President Michel from Christopher Gill

LETTER FROM CHRISTOPHER GILL TO PRESIDENT JAMES MICHEL - SEYCHELLES

Christopher Gill

Leader of MSR Seychelles

James Michel

President of Seychelles

*********

April 12^th, 2011

The President of the Republic of Seychelles

Mr. James Alix Michel

State House

Victoria

Mahe

Re: Growing Incidents of Attacks and Violent Actions on MSR Members and Activists

Dear Mr. Michel:

I am writing to you concerning the growing incidents of violent attacks, threats and intimidation that I believe emanate from your Administration, on myself, members of the MSR and our assets.

The incidents now show a consistent pattern that can only be attributed to State action. I am putting you on Notice of these incidents, as President of The Republic of Seychelles and ask that you take immediate and meaningful steps to stop this pattern of violence that undermines the fabric of our society and curtails tolerance and Freedom of Expression that is necessary for democracy to exist in a country.

Pattern of Attacks While MSR Makes Judicial Appeals

As you well know the MSR has been refused participation in the upcoming elections. We are making the necessary judicial appeals for our case and we have called for a General BOYCOTT of the upcoming elections, because we believe, that when  any Seychellois is denied participation in the political

Page Two (2)

process, the promises of pluralistic democracy are not kept, and the People are not given a true opportunity to choose their leaders and the future course

of the Nation. When this happens, it is our position that SHAM ELECTIONS are at play.

Coupled with an appointed Electoral Commissioner, by yourself a presidential candidate, and the restrictive inspection process of the Voters List, it is our belief that the upcoming elections as in fact a SHAM ELECTION and the results cannot be deemed “credible”, in spite of what any government official or International Observer may say to the contrary.

Furthermore, by denying any party the right to participate in the Presidential Elections, they cannot by definition be “Free” or “Fair”. Blockage of a party by using a One Party State law is not consistent with pluralistic democratic process. I believe you have blocked our participation to deny us access to the general population through SBC because you know that “Sesel Pou Seselwa”, is what every Seychellois fundamentally believes in.

During this time of Judicial Appeal, I call on you to take meaningful steps to leave MSR members and activists and myself alone, to allow us to take meaningful steps to exhaust the judicial process of determining the rights of the Party to exist. We demand that we be permitted to function free from any State sponsored, endorsed or encouraged violence or intimidation. 

The Appeal will include an eventual case being brought to the International Human Rights Courts, if we are unsuccessful within the Seychelles Judiciary system. Such as appeal is well within our rights, as Seychelles is a signatory to the United Nation Charter of Fundamental Human Rights. Judge Karunakaran failed grossly, to take Judicial Notice of the International Human Rights treaties Seychelles is a signatory party . This can take years to reach finality in judgment.

In the meantime, many MSR members want to be part of the political process in Seychelles. Hence, I have encouraged them to form another party, which will present the Fourth (4^th) Submittal that materially amended the MANIFESTO of MSR that neither Mr. Hendrick Gappy was willing to

Page Three (3)

consider, and Mr. Ronny Govinden, Attorney General, refused to permit as evidence in the Supreme Court Case. Judge Karunakaran , did not consider

the Fourth (4^th )Submittal as evidence, which I have tendered to the Commonwealth Observers when I met them last month, to give a full and complete picture of the MSR’s efforts and intentions which are  well within the process.

Break –In At MSR Office Docklands

On October 30^th, 2010, the MSR office was broken into at Docklands. All our documents were taken, along with campaign materials, Three (3) computer laptops, USB drives, we believe bugs were placed in the office and viruses set in our tower computer hard-drives. Cartoons were taken, manifestos were taken from the office, and the office was ransacked.

A Police Report was made, but no follow up investigation ever took place.

Fingerprints were taken, but no report of the results were ever made available to us.

Seychelles is a small place, and we quickly came upon information that corroborated these actions with State House agents who apparently were acting under your direct instructions.

I call on you to take steps to stop these break ins into our office. We have a right to have an office, collect documents and information and function as an entity or even individual. This office will now house a newspaper company SESELWA Publication, which took Four (4) months to register.  The MSR logos will remain in place, until the International Human Rights Court renders a ruling on MSR right to exist as a Political party in Seychelles.

Attempted Murder of Anthony Battin December 14^th, 2010

Anthony Battin, an MSR activist was chased down with hand gun 9mm by Jemmy Marengo, a State House agent, according to a Police Report filed in December 2010. This report was filed with the Human Rights

Page Four (4)

Commissioner, Miss Dora Zatte. Unfortunately, Miss Zatte never replied to this Report. The office has gone silent apparently under your instructions.

I know you do not hold  affectionate relations with Mr. Battin that are clearly understandable under the circumstances of Mr. Battin being sentenced for a life term for a crime involving a victim, close to you.  But Mr. Battin has been pardoned by F.A. Rene, as President.

 We both know well, why Mr. Battin was pardoned.

This being the case, he has a right to live, and a right to hold beliefs, and political convictions. Mr. Battin also has a right to freely associate with any one or group he chooses. I ask that your office take meaningful steps to insure that Mr. Battin’s rights as a Citizen of Seychelles, are protected, and insured from further threats by State House thugs. This type of conduct is wholly unacceptable in any democratic country.

A second attempted murder of Mr. Battin took place two years prior by State House agents, which is recorded at the Police Station. We have posted this report as well. Nothing has been done by your Administration.

As a person who lived through the international isolation of the One Party State era, you know better then I, that once the cloth of democracy has shed, a Nation takes down a road of perpetual helplessness.

I ask you, as President of Seychelles, to not take Seychelles down this road. The culture of tolerance can best be cultivated from the position you hold. Similarly, it can be destroyed just as effectively, from your position.

Harassment By State House Agents at STC

On December 20^th, 2010, at STC, Victoria, Anthony Battin was harassed by one of your State Security Agents, in a Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 licensed S6572. This vehicle is consigned to your body guard brigade.

I call on you, to order your men to leave MSR activist alone and stop attempting to foment fear and intimidation with the threat of violence in our country, through your agents. We expect a written apology from the men

Page Five (5)

involved and their commitment that they will stop using such tactics in the future.

Seychelles Police Detention and Beating of Jean Paul Isaac 

In December  30^th, 2010, Police at the Port Glaud Police station, detained without cause, and beat our Political Affairs Officer  while in custody Mr. Jean Paul Isaac. We filed a report with the Human Rights Commissioner

Miss Dora Zatte and received a reply advising us to pursue the matter before the Courts of Seychelles. Your Administration received a copy of this report, and no effort has been made overtly to settle this case amicably. The conduct of your Administration reflects a pattern of knowing of abuses taking place, remaining silent on them, then let the victims expend all their energy to seek justice over a period of years through the court process.

 If the judgments are piecemeal, that will discourage citizens from seeking redress for abuse. Hence, the status quo will remain, the country will digress, the rule of force, and violence, will prevail in Seychelles. 

This type of course of action would be commendable in a dictatorship, Mr. Michel, but in a Democracy, which you say we live in, it is a disgraceful mode of Administration.

I call on you, to instruct  your Police Commissioner to enter into negotiations to settle this case of  Police abuse. Mr. Isaac is entitled to a proper redeeming settlement and the Officers that beat Jean Paul Isaac and detained him, must be reprimanded and duly suspended from the Police Force by your Administration.

Refusal of Registering of Human Rights Organization

The Registrar of Associations, which is under the Office of the President of Seychelles, that is your office, refused to register a Human Rights Organization filed on  January 2011.                    .

Page Six (6)

This refusal to respect the right of a group of Citizens to defend and enhance Human Rights in Seychelles, after we have lived through Seventeen (17) years of pluralism and made little progress in Human Rights, is disgraceful, on the part of your Administration. 

As you know, the Seychelles has not filed any Human Rights Country Assessment Reports to be in compliance with International Human Rights Conventions which the Republic is a party . In March 2011, we faced an international tribunal for non compliance in filing reports for numerous successive years.

As this matter is before your office, I call on you to take meaningful steps to correct this gross disrespect for the value of citizens in society. If a Citizen is held beneath the heels of the State, we do not have a Democracy, Mr. Michel, we have a Dictatorship.

This unfortunately, is a fundamental tone that your Administration has not addressed, which, you have inherited from the F.A. Rene Administration. 

You must change course, for Seychelles to make meaningful progress and prosperity in the future. Your advisers will not tell you this because they do not have the courage to keep you well informed. They do not make a correlation between the drastic drop in FDI from 2009-2011 ($2 Billion - $140 Million) and factor the lack of apparent democratic practice in place, as a condition precedent  for investors.

 If you do not change course, this situation will get worse.  

Whatever corrections your office would like to make concerning our Human Rights Organization Memorandum application, advise us, we will consider your comments and make amendments if they are reasonable. The letter rejecting the Human Rights Organization was silent on the “reason” citing only a section of the Land Registration Act is absurd at best.  

I call on you to have the Registrar of Association to rectify this malaise and see to it that the Human Rights Organization I filed, is so registered. The

Page Seven (7)

respect for Human Rights, and respect for democracy and individual rights is a cornerstone, to societal advancement and empowerment of the citizen.

Arson on my Property Praslin

On March 9th 2011 an arson engulfed a garage on my business premises Praslin, destroying internal vehicles used for my hotel operation. The arson being set on my premises is consistent with information we have received from State House Informants loyal to “Sesel Pou Seselwa”, who advise us that it is your intent that these acts are so committed in order to discourage me and others from following up on our ambition to form a political party in Seychelles.

This information is highly corroborative with the statements made by Attorney General Ronny Govinden in court, Hendricks Gappy the Political Parties Registrar who both have insisted that MSR must not exist, and we must be stopped from being part of the political life of Seychelles. Hence, there is a common stream of thinking in your Administration, that can only emanate from you, Mr. Michel as the parts of a body, take instructions from the head. It is foolish to think that the toes of a human, would be in charge of its brain.

MSR Vehicle Is fired With Live Ammunition

One month after the arson, on April 7^th, 2011, our truck was fired upon by allegedly as per reports by State House agent, named Danny Alcindor.  Mr. Alcindor has a dubious reputation and is consigned to Vehicles Section of the NDEA. I have been advised by State House informant he retains close

relations with you and operates under direct orders from you to conduct covert activity of a dubious nature. If he is in the Vehicles section, he should not be carrying a hand gun.

The replacement cost of this windshield is Sr. 15,000.00. We have filed corresponding Police reports, and we expect you to rise above these petty incidences and see some finality to these incidents.

Page Eight (8)

As President of Seychelles, it is incumbent on you, to discourage acts of violence, particularly when they emanate from your own staff. There is a developing pattern to these incidents, and they are all well recorded and detailed.

I ask that you denounce violence, arson and threats of force on any Seychellois Citizen at this time. Additionally, I ask that you take steps as a man of simple decency to rectify the harm caused by your agents upon my people and the MSR.

I shall be publishing this letter in whole, and copy all Embassies, and all Human Rights Organizations internationally.

Finally, I ask humbly, that you publish a list, once and for all, of all persons who obtained Citizenship while under Gainful Occupation Permit ( GOP) or purchased Passports, under your Administration and F. A. Rene Administration, as this is the root of many of our grievances.

The time for action to solidify our democracy is now. To live in a dream world that we are still in a one party state, but have the window dressing of a democracy will only bear us all  bitter fruit that you will be accountable for.

Sincerely,

                                       

Christopher Gill