" 'Grenada 17' Mount Effort For Release From Prison"

Dow Jones Newswire

St. George's, Grenada (AP)--From a crumbling 17th century prison overlooking the harbor in the Caribbean nation of Grenada, former army Pvt. Cosmos Richardson is fighting one more battle. Richardson and 16 others were convicted in connection with the killings of Marxist leader Maurice Bishop and 10 others in a 1983 coup that prompted a U.S. invasion.

But two decades later, Bishop's body is still missing and Richardson and the rest of the "Grenada 17" are mounting a new effort for their release as the island marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion on Oct. 25."Politics is what keeps me here," Richardson, 46, told The Associated Press from the Grenada prison where he is serving a 45-year sentence.

Although many islanders have long forgotten Grenada's flirtation with socialism, the legal maneuverings of the Grenada 17 and the anniversary of the invasion are reminders of the country's struggle during the last days of the Cold War.

The invasion, ordered by then-President Ronald Reagan, was criticized by the U.N. and Britain, the former colonial ruler of Grenada until the island achieved independence in 1974. But it was the U.S. influence during the trial of Richardson and the others that still makes islanders angry.

"If this matter was left up to Grenadians, those guys would now be out of prison and in the community living normal lives," said John Phillip, an engineer on the island. "The invading U.S. forces tampered with justice."

Radio talk shows in Grenada have been jammed with islanders calling for the case to be reopened and complaining of U.S. meddling.

Some key defense witnesses were barred, and prosecutors and judges during the trial were paid with a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. government, said Richard Hart, who briefly served as Grenada's attorney general under Bishop in 1983.

"I do not believe justice was done," said Osbourne Baptiste, who took part in the revolution. "They should be freed but everyone is playing politics with this issue both locally and internationally."

Last year, a court ruled Richardson and two other ex-soldiers should be freed because each received more than one consecutive 15-year sentence for manslaughter -- an action it said amounted to multiple sentences for the same crime. Nine months later, a higher court overturned the decision.

Now defense lawyers are preparing appeals to the Privy Council in London, the highest court for many former British colonies.

They face a major legal hurdle because Grenada has a law that bars such appeals on convictions before 1991. But defense lawyer Keith Scotland is challenging that law in the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal, arguing it was passed simply to prevent his clients from appealing.

Government officials decline to comment and have shown no willingness to release them from their hilltop prison, a former military hospital built by French colonists in the 1690s.

But Richardson said he sill hasn't given up. "I have hopes for the future," he said, sitting in a dimly lit prison cafeteria.

Few signs remain of the U.S. invasion. Neither of the two buildings that were destroyed -- the former prime minister's office and hospital's psychiatric ward -- were repaired. At least 30 patients died when the U.S. forces mistakenly bombed part of the hospital.

Some islanders argue the prisoners betrayed the country and deserve their fate. "It's treason," resident Denis Radix said.

Prosecutors said a power struggle prompted Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard to send Richardson and two other soldiers to kill Bishop, four Cabinet ministers and six of their supporters on Oct. 19, 1983.

Richardson refused to go into specifics about that night. "I am not a criminal," he said. "I was a foot soldier. If a foot soldier gets an order, he has to carry it out. And the law is supposed to protect him."

Six days after the killings, thousands of U.S. Marines and paratroopers stormed the island in a mission the U.S. government said was aimed at restoring order, protecting hundreds of U.S. medical students and preventing a buildup of Cuban military advisers and weapons.

Some details remain unclear, including the number of Grenadians killed and the whereabouts of Bishop's body. The U.S. government puts the death toll at 45 Grenadians, 24 Cubans and 19 Americans.

The government established a truth commission in 2000 to reveal details about the events. The findings are expected later this year.

The trial of the Richardson and the others was condemned by observers including Amnesty International and the Organization of American States.

Following reported death threats, all but one of the defense lawyers walked off the case just before verdicts against the 17, said Rich Gibson, a San Diego State University professor who has researched the trial.

While the three soldiers were convicted of manslaughter, Coard and 13 others were convicted of murder and are serving life sentences. Coard's wife, Phyllis, was freed in 2000 to undergo cancer treatment. Sixteen remain behind bars.

"They shouldn't let them out because I don't think they'll give up until they get what they want...communism," said Ann Charles, a 49-year-old spice vendor on the island.

But prisoner Leon Cornwall, a former ambassador to Cuba , said it's time to move on.

"The country is not at peace with itself. There's a sense of guilt over all of this," he said. "We're prisoners of war, and the war is over."