NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Local activist group Human Rights Bahamas (HRB) said yesterday it has filed a police report over a “sham” video purporting to have been sponsored by it.
HRB accused the video of “shamelessly and heartlessly exploit[ing]” victims of former Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard’s alleged sex trafficking ring, and strongly denied being affiliated with it.
“Today, Human Rights Bahamas reported a sham video, falsely and maliciously purporting to have been sponsored by our organization, to the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force,” HRB said in a statement.
“In due course, a full report on this very serious incident will also be submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).”
This development comes on the heels of a documentary released by CBC, involving interviews with 19 women who alleged the Canadian fashion mogul raped them, titled “Evil in Paradise”.
Nygard faces federal sex trafficking crimes and was arrested last December.
According to HRB, the video “pretends to acknowledge the incredible sacrifice of these heroic young women, who found the courage to stand up and speak truth to power when no one else would”.
But the human rights group slammed the video as “nothing more than a cheap stunt that trivializes and takes advantage of the unspeakable trauma and suffering these victims have endured”.
“The victims, and the victims alone, deserve the credit for their remarkable bravery in coming forward,” HRB said.
It noted: “For the record, Human Rights Bahamas had nothing to do with this fraudulent video.
“We could not disagree more with its barbaric message, and we strongly condemn the reprehensible individuals responsible for perpetrating this fraud.
“Our organization fully supports and applauds the bravery of all the victims of Peter Nygard’s alleged crimes, including those courageous whistleblowers that this vile video seeks to scapegoat and victimize…”
It added: “Seeking to hijack and impersonate human rights organizations, whose mission is to uphold and defend the fundamental rights and freedoms of all individuals in The Bahamas, is the tactic better suited to banana republics and failed states. It is utterly reprehensible and beyond pathetic.
“Human Rights Bahamas intends to pursue this matter to the fullest extent of the law. We are committed to exposing the shameless and dangerous individuals responsible for this travesty.”
The organization said those responsible for making the video “should be utterly ashamed and deserve to be universally condemned by all right-thinking people”.
“We also intend to offer a reward for information concerning the individuals who created and distributed this vile material,” the HRB statement continued.
“Cowards who would seek revictimize the survivors of this heinous sex trafficking network must be exposed.
“If the Bahamas is serious about protecting women and children from sexual abuse, then all such accomplices must be brought to justice.”
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