KINGSTON, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) members of the Internal and External Committee of Parliament say that they are appalled at the vote a short while ago denying detainees and their relatives a hearing by the committee, which has been looking at the operation of the State of Emergency (SoE) in St James since last week.

The PNP members termed the vote, “one of the darkest days in the history of the Jamaican Parliament.”

The motion, put forward by Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna, was for the Jamaica Constabulary Force, as well as State of Emergency detainees and their relatives to appear before the committee.

However, the committee, comprising four Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) members against three PNP members this evening voted against the motion.

The PNP argued that this has effectively shut the door in the faces of SOE detainees, denying them the opportunity to give a first-hand narrative of their detention experience and the conditions existing in the detention centres.

The committee agreed that the police should be invited to the next sitting.