JAMAICANS FOR Justice (JFJ) has accepted the 2002 Human Rights Award of the City of Weimar, Germany, in the names of the victims of human rights violations in Jamaica.
Dr. Carolyn Gomes, head of JFJ, said that the award was also accepted in the name of those who were actively working for changes. In her acceptance speech at a ceremony in Germany earlier this month, Dr. Gomes referred particularly to the courage and integrity shown by Michael Gayle's mother, Jennie Cameron, and Janice Allen's mother Millicent Forbes in their non-violent struggle for justice for their children.
A citation was presented to the local human rights lobby group by law professor Dr. Eckart Klein, who is a director of the human rights centre of the university of Potsdam and a member of the human rights commission of the United Nations.
Professor Klein, in reference to Jamaica, said that "instead of diminishing legal protection, a government should endeavour to adjust its legal system and practice to international standards".
Jamaicans for Justice was nominated for this award by Amnesty International.
