CATEGORY:MAJOR DEVELOPMENT --------------------------------- By Wallace J.A Inside Grenada correspondent Wednesday February 07,2007 ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada: The eagerly anticipated ruling from the Privy Council in London - in connection with the appeal made by those who were incarcerated at the Richmond Hill Prison for the October 1983 murder of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and others - was handed down today. The Law Lords in London quashed the death sentences of the 13 prisoners calling it invalid and ordered that the matter should be remitted to the Supreme Court of Grenada for the appellants to be re-sentenced. Initially, seventeen persons were tried and imprisoned for their role in the tragic events which unfolded in Grenada on October 19, 1983, which resulted in the death of the Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop and a number of his supporters. This tragedy led to a military invasion of the island by U.S and Caribbean Forces six days later. Some years ago, the lone female in the group, Phyllis Coard, was released on medical grounds. On Saturday December 02, 2006, three other prisoners from “The Richmond Hill 17” - Andy Mitchell, Cosmos Richardson and Vincent Joseph - were released. The three were convicted on 11 counts of manslaughter and were sentenced to thirty (30) years in prison. They served about twenty (20) years at the Richmond Hill penal institution but had their sentences reduced because they had proven to be industrious and well-behaved. Under the law governing sentence regulations in Grenada, inmates’ sentences can be reduced by one-third if they meet the requisite criteria. Twenty-three years after the massacre on Fort Rupert in the nation’s capital, Grenadians are still divided on what should happen to the remaining 13 prisoners. Passion runs very strong on both sides. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission formed to help being closure to these heartrending events seems to have failed in its aim. An unscientific poll carried out on Inside Grenada reveals that 6% of the participants thought that the seventeen should not have been imprisoned, 34% thought that the death penalty should have been carried out, 38% thought that they should have remained in prison until they die, 12% thought that they should be released now, 4% thought that they should receive a new trial and 6% did not care one way or the other. In delivering their judgment, the Privy Council noted that “...The question of the appellants’ fate is so politically charged that it is hardly reasonable to expect any Government of Grenada, even 23 years after the tragic events of October 1983, to take an objective view of the matter". It was the opinion of the Law Lords that “…the determination of the appropriate sentence for the appellants, taking into account such progress as they have made in prison, should be the subject of a judicial determination". Supporters of the “Richmond Hill 13” look at the Privy Council’s ruling as a victory and they are hopeful that the inmates will be freed soon.