Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) |15 January 2020

Henri Barallon (Photo: Louis Toussaint)

Three more victimisation complaints heard

Complainant Henri Barallon from Anse à la Mouche appeared before the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) yesterday morning in his case 093 in relation to him being victimised by the State.

He claimed he lost his job and property and furthermore had to leave the country following continued harassment.

As a driver, he worked with the PWD company and was later transferred to the Seychelles Housing Development Company (SHDC) where he claimed he spent seven years doing the same job. He alleged that he was always refused his annual leave until one time he was able to take his leave and he went to Aldabra with a friend. He noted that it was his second leave after seven years of service.

Mr Barallon said that due to bad weather upon their departure from the island, he arrived late to work and was fired on the spot by a new management that had taken charge. He noted that he was not even given a chance to explain what had caused his lateness to work. He also claimed that he was not compensated for his length of service.

He stated that following his dismissal, he was constantly harassed and for being blacklisted, he was not able to find other jobs. The only option he said he had was to work as a fisherman, a job he is still doing today.

He further said that he was constantly followed and was one day advised by someone that his life was in danger and he had to immigrate for a short period of time to Australia.

Mr Barallon also claimed that the family had to quickly divide among themselves a parcel of land at Anse à la Mouche following a letter received from government that the land will be acquired. He claimed that he kept his part but another piece of land close by the sea, reserved for the whole family, was acquired.

He presumed he was targeted because he along with his family was not affiliated to the party in power. He said he wants to be compensated for his length of service in government and also for the return to the family the piece of land situated by the sea front that was acquired.

Case 0155

The hearing in case 0155 of Joe Rath, an ex-militia and ex-army infantry soldier who had claimed in 2019 of ill treatment by senior army officials following his participation in the army rebellion, where he was sent to prison, did not proceed yesterday as the commission had learned that his witness, Daniel Rath, an ex- soldier and also his brother, had long passed away. Mr Rath spent five years and six months in prison for participating in the army rebellion on August 17, 1982, as a result of which he also lost his pension.

Case 082

Via Skype, 85-year-old Georgie Sicobo, as the complainant, vented out a series of complaints related to incidents which happened to him before and after the coup d’etat of June 5, 1977, for the commission to investigate.

His first complaint relates to his being accused of letting people go without paying their bills during the time he was in charge of the government printing; secondly, on the eve of Independence Day in June 1976, he was arrested and detained by the police for one night; thirdly, he was arrested again on November 16, 1979 and detained for twenty-six days at the Union Vale prison and fourthly he was constantly harassed by the state after his release and that forced him to seek political asylum in England in 1981.

Mr Sicobo refuted all allegations that were made against him at that time that he was not collecting payments from clients at the printing house and also that he was bad mouthing the government which was the reason for his arrest. It was alleged, he said, that he was at the Northolme Hotel bad mouthing the government but claimed that he was at work at the time it is alleged that he was at the hotel and that got him to spend the twenty six days in prison.

He also claimed that he is still not satisfied with the pension received following his retirement even though former Minister Joseph Belmont had at that time confirmed to him that the calculation of his pension was right. He furthermore alleged that he had to sell his property and other belongings at bargain prices as he had to leave the country in haste.

Mr Sicobo alleged he was victimised because he was a Democratic Party supporter. He noted that what really hurt him was leaving his mother and father alone in the Seychelles, as all his other brothers and sisters were also living overseas, and furthermore by not being able to attend their funerals.

The chairperson of the commission, Gabrielle McIntyre, assured him that his case will be investigated, including also to determine the appropriate pension calculation and the other claims in respect to his financial hardship faced under duress to sell his property and other belongings upon being forced into exile.

Case 0269

John Both was the last person to appear before the commission at short notice yesterday afternoon in the place of a rescheduled case.

As he is leaving the country today, he was called in in relation to his case 0269 in which he claimed he was victimised by the state, during the one party era, with constant arrests by the police, put in jail and also forced into exile for thirty years.

He stated that he was once framed as a drug dealer where a small amount of drugs (hashish) were placed next to him by police officers and for that he was detained at the Union Vale prison for fourteen days and later sentenced to two years in prison. He alleged that he had never dealt in drugs.

Mr Both also said that he was also once arrested in 1984 at his place on the grounds that he was distributing opposition leaflets and he spent four days in jail before being sentenced to three years in prison, presumably for the offence albeit with no evidence. He said he presumed he was victimised because he was a strong democratic supporter and for being outspoken against the regime, he was forced to leave the country to immigrate to Canada until today. He noted that this is the first time he visits Seychelles since he left the country thirty years ago.

In terms of redress, Mr Both said that he should be compensated for the length of time he had spent in prison “for doing nothing wrong”.

Patrick Joubert