‘Death list’ allegedly used by St. Lucia police to keep island a tourist hot spot

Police in St. Lucia allegedly used a “death list” to rid the tourist destination of criminals they deemed a threat to its reputation.

A recent report cited by the island’s prime minister included findings that were “extremely damning,” The Telegraph reported Monday.

“The report confirms that the blacklist or death lists referenced by the media, human rights organizations, victims’ families and citizens alike did exist. More alarmingly, the investigators report that all the shootings reviewed were fake encounters staged by the police to legitimize their actions,” Prime Minister Kenny Anthony said in a recent televised address, the newspaper reported.

The Royal St. Lucia Police Force allegedly killed dozens of suspected criminals between 2010 and 2011 in an effort to reduce violence called “Operation Restore Confidence.” When revelations of the killings came to light in 2013, the U.S. pulled all its support for the police force, saying there were “credible allegations of gross human rights violations,” The Telegraph reported.

Jamaican investigators have recommended that all officers linked to the killings be prosecuted.

“We cannot continue in a situation where we are viewed as a pariah state by our partners in the fight against crime,” Mr. Anthony said, the newspaper reported.