Turks and Caicos Islands Governor’s Office/Facebook
This week, a U.S. congressional delegation visited the Turks and Caicos Islands to discuss the recent arrests of U.S. citizens.
CNN
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Turks and Caicos Islands officials have slammed comments by a U.S. lawmaker who visited the islands earlier this week and called for the release of Americans who were arrested there and face up to 12 years in prison.
“The accusations made by (Rep. Guy Reschenthaler) against the government and people of the Turks and Caicos Islands are nothing less than egregious lies,” the island nation’s Prime Minister, Washington Misick, said in a speech to the House of Representatives.
Earlier this week, a U.S. congressional delegation visited the islands and met with officials to demand the release of Americans being held on ammunition charges.
Three of the Americans, Michael Lee Evans, Brian Hagerich and Tyler Wenrich, pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition while traveling in the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the Turks and Caicos Islands government. Hagerich is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. At 10 a.m. ET, attorney Oliver Smith told CNN.
A fourth person, Ryan Tyler Watson, is scheduled to appear in court June 7. A fifth person, Shalitta Sinise Greer, was arrested last week and is out on bail awaiting trial, according to Kimo Tynes, communications director for the Office of the Prime Minister and Public Policy.
Smith, who also represents Evans, said the American could face up to 12 years in prison plus a fine for violating government firearms laws, but could be given a lighter sentence if a court determines there are exceptional circumstances surrounding the charges.
Evans is currently out on bail and has been allowed to return to the United States due to his “serious” health condition, but will need to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands for his next hearing, Smith said.
Smith said the court will also rule on a lawsuit he filed against him on the constitutionality of the bill’s method of sentencing defendants.
“Unfortunately, despite our willingness to work with Turks and Caicos Islands authorities to return voters, we were unable to find a path forward today,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Texas, said in a statement Monday.
“Now every three weeks an American is wrongfully detained and taken to the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Reschenthaler said in an interview with ABC News earlier this week.
“I would like to see a solution where the Americans don’t receive any prison time at all. They should be given time to serve and then deported to the United States,” Reschenthaler told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday.
“These are innocent mistakes. Other countries would impose fines and deport the person to their country of origin. That’s not happening here,” he said, adding that “Turks and Caicos prisons have been flagged by the United Nations as a humanitarian concern.”
He called the minimum 12-year prison sentence for ammunition possession “completely unacceptable” and said Americans had brought the ammunition into the country unknowingly.
Turks and Caicos Islands Governor Dilin Daniel Selvaratna said in a news release Wednesday that the Turks and Caicos Islands values its relationship with the United States and that the two countries have a “strong partnership to address common threats in the region.”
In a statement, the Turks and Caicos Islands said it was not targeting U.S. citizens and called Reschenthaler’s comments about a congressional delegation visiting the islands and meeting with officials “deeply unfortunate.”
“His portrayal of our meeting is not one we endorse,” the statement said.
“Our discussions were conducted professionally and respectfully, with a focus on clarifying the legal position and personal well-being,” the statement continued.
The governor added that the 12-year minimum sentence for possession of firearms and ammunition is in place to protect islanders, and that the law gives judges the discretion to order reduced sentences in “exceptional circumstances.”
To date, no Americans have been sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to the statement.
“The law must be applied fairly”
Gov. Misick noted that of the 195 people convicted of firearms-related offenses in the past six years, only seven were U.S. citizens. He said Thursday that no group should receive special treatment.
“The law must be applied fairly,” Missick said.
The U.S. and the Turks and Caicos Islands cooperate on anti-drug, anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering efforts, but “our laws and procedures are not aligned,” Misick said. “We are an independent, sovereign nation. We respect U.S. laws and would never seek to interfere with their operation.”
Missick said the Turks and Caicos government would take “decisive and comprehensive measures to protect the safety and security of our nation,” adding that while the country does not manufacture firearms or ammunition, the number of firearms coming into the islands was increasing.
Opposition appointee Rep. Alvin Garland expressed concern about U.S. citizens who have been arrested in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the past six months on suspicion of possessing ammunition.
Garland said the island’s governor was right not to intervene in the ongoing case to adhere to separation of government powers, but added that most, if not all, of the cases involving American tourists fall into the “exceptional circumstances category” and sentences could be shorter than the mandatory 12-year minimum.
This story has been updated with additional information.
