Jamaica's government created a commission to investigate the 201 killings of at least 76 civilians and one soldier in the hunt for a drug lord in a Kingston slum.  But the group Amnesty International says the three-member commission's mandate “falls short of what is needed to obtain truth, justice and reparation” for survivors.

“Victims have waited nearly four years for this commission, but regrettably the terms of reference that establish its mandate are seriously flawed and could prejudice the effectiveness of the inquiry,” said Amnesty’s Chiara Liguori.

Soldiers in May 2010 descended on the Tivoli Gardens area of West Kingston to extricate Christopher “Dudus” Coke, who was wanted for marijuana, cocaine, and firearms trafficking in the US.  The operation was violent and lengthy, and a lot of residents were more than willing to go to bat for Dudus, seeing him more as a Robin Hood-like benefactor than as a murderous, hardened criminal.  But there are accusations that 44 of the civilian killings were unjustified – a slaughter of civilians, most unarmed.

Dudus was eventually captured, extradited, and sentenced to 23 years in an American prison.  No charges have been filed against any Jamaican or US Homeland Security official yet.

Amnesty says the investigative panel’s mandate is phrased in such as way as to give the appearance of a “predetermined outcome.”  It also said the government should specify the need for the investigative panel to refer matters to prosecutors should it gather information about criminal wrongdoing.