Dave Tan Bartholomew is one of the 17 persons in prison for 16 years for the deaths of Maurice Bishop and others. In October 1983 Tan was a member of the NJM Central Committee. That is the only reason why he is in prison today.

People in St. Patrick's who remember Tan know him as a young man who was very committed to the development of St. Patrick's and Grenada. From the time he was a teenager he was very active in the community. He was especially committed to helping youths. He was a leading member of nearly every youth group and sports club ever started in Mali or surrounding areas.

During the Revolution Tan was the leading activist in St. Patrick's. Because of his work amongst the people of St. Patrick's he became an executive member of the NJM. He was also leader of the National Youth Organisation - the NYO - and Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports in the PRG.

Fabricated Evidence

The evidence, which has kept Tan in jail for 16 years, was totally fabricated. He was convicted on the basis of the evidence of one witness and one witness alone: Cletus St. Paul.

Cletus St. Paul was the former chief bodyguard of PM Bishop. He was arrested on October 12^th 1983. He said that the Central Committee, of which Tan was a member, ordered his arrest. He therefore clearly had cause for spite.

St. Paul's evidence was that he was standing in handcuffs at the entrance of Fort Frederick on October 19^th, 1983 when he saw the members of the Central Committee arrive in a great haste. Upon their arrival, St. Paul said, they grouped together for a brief moment right in front of him. He did not hear what they were saying but he saw them shaking their hands and moving their heads. Shortly after that in the presence of others, St. Paul said that one member of the central committee made a short statement to the soldiers that Bishop and others had taken over the Fort and that they must be liquidated. Whereupon St. Paul said the Central Committee members shouted, 'Central Committee orders!' and the soldiers responded, 'We obey! We obey!'

Tan Bartholomew was convicted of murder because St. Paul called his name as one of those who had arrived at Fort Frederick. But it was easy for St. Paul to call Tan's name. He just had to remember who were the members of the Central Committee and make sure to call their names. At the preliminary inquiry St. Paul had forgotten one name. That person was set free. Tan was not that fortunate.

The fact is that on the morning of October 19^th 1983 Tan was in his home parish of St. Patrick's. Many people in St. Patrick's are aware of that fact. Tan was therefore not and could not have been on Fort Fredrick standing in front of St. Paul in a group shaking his head.

There are several significant things about the case put forward against Tan.

• At the trial, speaking in his defence, Tan pointed out to the court that his diary in which he made daily entries of his activities would prove that he was not on Fort Frederick, and that Cletus St. Paul was lying on him. Tan even went so far to describe the size and colour of the diary to make retrieval easy. The Americans had seized that diary from his home immediately after the invasion. Tan requested that the diary be returned so that he could use it to prove his innocence. That request was rejected.
• There is also another document that could prove Tan's innocence: that is the Duty Officer Diary that was kept at Fort Frederick. In that diary the names of everyone entering or leaving the Fort and the time they did so, can be found. That diary would conclusively prove that Cletus St. Paul lied on Tan. The Americans also seized that diary from Fort Frederick. Tan also requested that that diary be handed over for him to use to prove his innocence. That request was also rejected.
• It should be noted that there was one member of the Central Committee who was out of Grenada – all the way in Sweden – on October 19^th 1983. The Swedish government could prove that he was on an official visit to their country on the day in question. Only that fact saved him from being framed and being now locked up in jail along with the rest of the 17. Indeed the foreign forces who mounted the case against the 17 had already begun to take steps to frame that member of the Central Committee. One officer of the PRA currently locked up in jail was tortured and forced to write in a statement that that member of the Central Committee was in a meeting at the home of Bernard Coard on the morning of October 19^th 1983! Were he as unfortunate as Tan to be in Grenada on the day, no doubt Cletus St. Paul would have had him shaking his head on Fort Frederick. Like Tan he would have been rotting in jail for the last sixteen years. Tan is therefore in jail not because of anything he did: But because Cletus St. Paul lied on him.

But Tan has not given up. He has exerted much effort in improving himself academically. From behind bars he has obtained two A'level passes and is on the verge of obtaining a law degree from London University. Tan plans to migrate and pursue a career in conselling whenever he is freed.

People of St. Patrick's, such injustice cannot be allowed to continue into the next millennium. It is time for our people to get up and demand the immediate freedom of this innocent brother. If we in St. Patrick's do not stand up for our own, who will? Let us make our voices be heard. Let us all make representations to our two parliamentary representatives. We demand the immediate freedom of our innocent brother.