The Keith Mitchell government in St. George's has given an undertaken to establish a Review Board, to facilitate prisoners such as the infamous "Grenada 13" who have been imprisoned since the 1983 coup that prompted a U.S-led invasion on the island.

The announcement came during Day Six of the re-sentencing hearing for the men who were convicted in 1986 for the murder of marxist Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several others in a bloody palace coup on October 19, 1983.

This was communicated to the court by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Christopher Nelson who received a letter to this effect from Acting Cabinet Secretary, Elizabeth Henry-Greenidge.

The letter said in part that Cabinet will approve the appointment of the Prison Review Board within two  (2) weeks. According to Nelson, the decision was made after attorneys for the Coard Gang of prisoners informed the court that their clients never received the findings from a temporary review board that was created in late 1999 to review their case.

Under the Grenada Prison rules, there are regulations which provide for reviews of sentences imposed on prisoners after defined periods of incarceration. However, since their convictions, there has been only one sentence review for the Coard Group which took place during the period October 1999 to April 2000.

The lawyers for the men pointed out that during the period, the prisoners were summoned to appear before the Board individually and 12 attended except General Hudson Austin who refused to attend the hearing. The Coard Gang were unrepresented by legal counsel in hearings before the board.

The then Review Board comprised of five persons appointed by the Minister of National Security, Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell. They were Works Minister, Senator Brenda Hood, Permanent Secretary, Lana Mc Phail, Dr Obikoya, a Consultant Psychiatrist employed with government, Lt. Col Nestor Ogilvie, National Security Advisor, and Dhan Lalsee, a minister of religion who carries out a regular Christian Ministry at the Prison.

 The prisoners stated that they were asked questions relating to the incident for which they were charged, the trial process including their reasons for not participating in the trial, their conditions of imprisonment, their plans for the future in the event of release among others.

Lalsee, described as the only member of the Board who could be described as independent of government, resigned from the Board after a few interviews were conducted with the prisoners.   The results of the exercise have been kept secret.

The Coard Gang of Prisoners told their lawyers that given the conduct and composition of the Review Board , they formed the opinion that it was merely a sham and a political ploy to deflect local and international pressure for their release from custody.

 According to the convicted prisoners, their fears were justified in 2002 when Prime Minister Mitchell publicly stated that no judge can free any or all of them and that only the people of Grenada as a whole can decide the issue of their liberty. The Coard Gang hold the view that no prospect of a genuine review of their case could be undertaken by a review board set up by the Executive.

The board when established is expected to review the sentences of more than 300 inmates being held at the Richmond Hill Prison. Currently, only the Governor-General can issue an order for an inmate's early release.