"The struggle we are carrying out in Guadeloupe is very difficult because our country is still under French colonialism," Ali Meril, the Guadeloupean representative and Deputy Secretary General of the People's Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG), told a press conference dedicated to the presentation of the Report on Human Rights Violations in French Overseas Territories prepared by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), Report informs.
Meril noted that human rights violations in the territory are a daily concern for his organization and every Guadeloupean:
"In general, the people of Guadeloupe live in constant fear. The death of Claude Jean-Pierre, known as Klodo, during a routine road check is a clear example of this. Guadeloupeans know well that anything can happen during routine checks with French repressive forces in the territory, and they won't receive fair treatment for any injustice they face."
He mentioned that three families who lost their relatives due to violence and repression by French forces are currently fighting together with their lawyers for a fair investigation and trial of their relatives' deaths:
"However, they are having difficulty getting French courts to investigate and bring cases to trial objectively. The people of Guadeloupe are now convinced that French military and police forces don't respect them and don't serve the people. As UPLG, we believe that the people of Guadeloupe have rights like all peoples, and their demand is for worldwide respect for Guadeloupeans' rights."
According to Meril, France responds with repression to demands for human rights protection and independence in Guadeloupe:
"Because France's colonial regime does everything to prevent Guadeloupeans from living and working in their own lands. Security problems, lack of drinking water, high living costs, unemployment, police violence - all these are implemented to force people to leave the country. Over the past 60 years, France's response to the people's desire for freedom, sovereignty, and independence has been repression, racism, and denial of human rights."
According to Ali Merli, towards the end of 2024, France, as an occupying state, is not taking any positive steps; on the contrary, it's doing everything possible to suppress any dissenting voices:
"The current French government has no intention of recognizing and protecting human rights in Guadeloupe or its other colonies. It openly declares that legal persecution will be carried out against people protesting price rises. Such steps by France indicate that repressions against people in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and other colonies will continue."