Grenada 17

In March 1979, the authoritarian regime of Eric Gayrie was overthrown as a result of a coup d'état. The Marxist New Jules Movement ( NJM ) came to power. A regime of the type of “real socialism” was established , closely connected with Cuba and supported by the USSR . The post of Prime Minister was held by Maurice Bishop , his deputy - Bernard Cord .

By the autumn of 1983, the socioeconomic crisis was aggravated in Grenada and the political contradictions in the ruling party became more acute ^[1] . Maurice Bishop began to probe the possibility of normalizing relations with the US administration of Ronald Reagan . This categorically did not suit the communist radicals from the OREL group led by Bernard Cord and the commander of the Grenadian army, General Hudson Austin . Kord and his supporters demanded the separation of sovereign power from Bishop. Prime Minister refused. Then on October 12, 1983, Maurice Bishop was removed from all posts and arrested the next day. Power passed into the hands of the Kord-Austen group. Kord actually became the head of the government, although he did not formally declare himself Prime Minister ^[2] .

Bishop's supporters staged massive demonstrations all over the island. There were clashes between General Austin and the security forces. On October 19, 1983, protesters led by foreign minister Unison Whiteman released Bishop from house arrest. A crowd of 4–5 thousand people (a large number for Grenada) moved to the army headquarters at Fort Rupert, occupied it and seized a weapon ^[3] .

The Korda-Austen group decided to use force. A special meeting of the Central Committee was held, a corresponding document was drafted (the copyright belonged to Leon Cornwall). Fort Rupert was taken by storm. Eight people: Maurice Bishop, Unison Whiteman, Norris Bane (Minister of Housing), Jacqueline Kreft (Minister of Education related to Bishop's close personal relationships, pregnant at the time), Keith Hayling (head of foreign trade department), Fitzroy Bain (chairman of the agricultural trade union) workers), Evelyn Bullen (entrepreneur) and Cecil Maitland (entrepreneur) were shot.

On the same day, General Hudson Austin announced the creation of a new government - the Revolutionary Military Council ( RMC ), under his chairmanship.

The peculiarity of the conflict was the fact that on both sides the communists participated in it, who had no conceptual differences. Contradictions were purely tactical in nature: the Bishop line was based on political maneuvering, the Kord line was on a hard course. The personal factor was no less, if not more important: Bernard Kord’s desire to “get out of the shadow” of Maurice Bishop and take the first position in the party-state leadership ^[4] .

The bloodshed and murder of Prime Minister Bishop was the reason for the American invasion , which began on October 25, 1983. The regime of the New JUEL movement was overthrown. Cord, Austin, and their associates are arrested and handed over to the new authorities of Grenada.

Appeared before the Grenadian court (positions and titles are indicated on October 19, 1983):

• Bernard Kord, Deputy Prime Minister, OREL Group Leader

• Hudson Austen, Commander of the People’s Revolutionary Army, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the New Movement JUEL, Minister of Construction, representative of the OREL group

• Evart Lane , Lieutenant-Colonel of the Grenadian Army, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the New Movement JUEL, Veteran of the OREL Group

• Selvin Strachan , member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the New Movement JUEL, Minister of National Mobilization

• Liam James , lieutenant colonel of the Grenadian army, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the New Movement JUEL, veteran of the OREL group

• John Vento, Major of the Grenadian Army, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the New JUEL Movement, Veteran of the OREL Group

• Phyllis Kord , wife of Bernard Korda, deputy minister of foreign affairs, member of the Central Committee of the New Movement JUEL, head of a women's organization

• Dave Bartholomew, Major of the Grenadian Army, Member of the Central Committee of the New JUEL Movement

• Leon Cornwall , a major of the Grenadian army, a member of the Central Committee of the New JUEL movement, a veteran of the OREL group

• Colville Macbarnett, a member of the Central Committee of the New JUEL Movement

• Christopher Stroud, major of the Grenadian army, veteran of the OREL group

• Cecil Prime, captain of the Grenadian army

• Lester Redhead, captain of the Grenadian army

• Callistus Bernard , Lieutenant of the Grenadian Army

• Rayborn Nelson, Second Lieutenant of the Grenadian Army

• Vincent Joseph, Private Grenadian Army

• Cosmos Richardson, Private Grenadian Army

• Andy Mitchell, Private of the Grenada Army

The couple Kord, General Austin, Strachan, Bartholomew, Cornwall, James, Macbarnett were accused of making a political decision about the killings. Lt. Col. Lane - in order to assault Fort Rupert, Lieutenant Bernard - in the murder of Bishop. At the same time, Austin, Lane, James, Venta, Cornwall, Bartholomew, Stroud, Prime, Bernard, Nelson were members of the RMC, that is, they openly acted as usurpers of power.

Officers and privates were accused of direct murder. A special place in the latter category was held by Callistus Bernard, nicknamed "Abdullah", who commanded the assault and personally shot Bishop ^[5] . A particularly serious crime was the murder of Jacqueline Kreft, according to some (not officially confirmed) data that was in a state of pregnancy.

Bernard Cord explained the murder of Bishop and his supporters by the revenge of the soldiers who had lost several of their comrades during the assault ^[6] . He denied making an appropriate political decision. This, as well as allegations of personal innocence, was confined to the process of defending the majority of defendants. Leon Cornwall recognized the existence of a relevant document of the Central Committee and its role in writing it, but insisted that it did not play a serious role. Evart Lane said he gave the order under physical pressure. The exception was Hudson Austin: he did not try to justify or explain his actions.

The verdict was made on December 4, 1986 ^[7] . Bernard Cord, Hudson Austen, Phyllis Cord, Callistus Bernard, Evart Lane, Selvin Strechan, Dave Bartholomew, Leon Cornwall, Liam James, Colville Macbarnett, Cecil Prime, Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroud and John Vent were recognized by the clerk, Cecil Prime, Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroud and John Ventu were found to be recognized by the Claville Macbarnett, Cecil Prime, Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroud and John Ventu were recognized by the clerk, Cecil Prime, Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroud and John Ventu were recognized by the clerk, Cecil Prime, Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroud and John Ventu. death penalty.

Three privates were found guilty of manslaughter. Vincent Joseph and Cosmos Richardson received 45 years, Andy Mitchell - 30 years in prison.

Rayborn Nelson was acquitted and released.

By the number of 17 convicts, the term Grenada 17 has arisen.

Interestingly, at the time of sentencing, the conservative government of the New National Party , headed by Herbert Blaise , was hostile to the ideology of the New JUEL movement. Attorney General of Grenada was Francis Alexis , previously a political emigrant and an active opponent of Maurice Bishop.

The convicts were held in Richmond Hill Prison. Amnesty International noted the harsh conditions of detention, comparing them with the Guantanamo prison ^[8] .

Death sentences were not carried out and in 1991 were replaced with life imprisonment.

In 1996, convicts on the Grenada 17 process published an open message Reflections and Apologies - Reflections asking for forgiveness (the main author was Bernard Cord) ^[9] . In this document, "some former NJM leaders" declared that they assumed moral and political responsibility for what happened in Grenada in 1979-1983, including for the October events. They apologized to the Grenadian people for their distress, although they explained them to the general situation of the Cold War and pledged to cease political activity in the future. At the same time, the authors recalled the social achievements of the times of their rule, called the split in the party a “normal democratic process” and categorically denied the existence of an order to commit killings in Fort Rupert.

On March 18, 2000, Phillis Cord was released due to health reasons ^[10] . On December 3, 2006 , Vincent Joseph, Cosmos Richardson and Andy Mitchell were convicted of the least guilty prisoners ^[2] .

February 7, 2007 The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council - the highest appellate court for Grenada as a member of the British Commonwealth - began a retrial. The terms were reduced in view of the 24 years left.

On June 27, 2007, Lester Redhead, Christopher Stroud and Cecil Prime were released (as having played a “relatively minor role” in the events) ^[11] . On December 31, 2007, Nadia Bishop, the daughter of the murdered Maurice Bishop, visited Bernard Kord and Callistus Bernard in prison ^[12] . This meeting was perceived as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation.

On December 18, 2008 , Hudson Austin, Colville Macbarnett, and John Wentu ^{[13] were released} . Bernard Kord, Callistus Bernard, Evart Lane, Selvin Strachan, Dave Bartholomew, Leon Cornwall and Liam James were released on September 5, 2009 ^[14] .

None of the Grenada 17 group has returned to political activities. Bernard Cord moved to Jamaica . Hudson Austen got a job as a construction manager at Richmond Hill Prison, where he was serving a sentence ^[15] . Leon Cornwall also went to work at Richmond Hill as a prison teacher. ^[16] Callistus Bernard wrote a book in prison that They Could Only Kill Me Once ( They could kill me only once ) ^[17] .