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Damian Thomas v. Jamaica

United Nations Human Rights Committee
Communication No. 800/1998, U.N. Doc. CCPR/65/D/800/1998

Written by Sean Carroll, JD

Facts

Damian Thomas (plaintiff), a Jamaican national, was arrested in Jamaica when he was 15 years old and convicted of murder. The Jamaican government (defendant) sentenced Thomas to time in adult prison. Thomas filed a petition with the United Nations Human Rights Committee, claiming that his detention and treatment violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Subsequently, effective January 23, 1998, Jamaica denounced the Optional Protocol to the ICCPR. On May 11, 1998, Thomas wrote to the committee claiming also that he was beaten several times while in prison.

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Holding and Reasoning ()

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