Greater Caribbean For Life Currently has an executive committee of 7 members who are passionate about death penalty abolition in the greater Caribbean. You can learn more about them below.
Leela Ramdeen
Chairperson
Leela Ramdeen, Trinidad and Tobago (TT), is the chair of the Greater Caribbean for Life. She is an Attorney-at-law, education consultant and Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, TT.
She is a well-known advocate against the death penalty and promotes innovative models in matters relating to restorative justice, the fight against crime and social exclusion based on educational tools. She is also a Director of the Catholic Religious Education Development Institute. She writes a weekly column in the Catholic News, TT, focusing on justice issues.
Carmelo Campos
Deputy Chairperson
Carmelo Campos Cruz, Esq. is a the vice-chair of the Greater Caribbean for Life and a member of the Puerto Rican Coalition against the Death Penalty. Mr. Campos has worked as a human rights activist in Puerto Rico for the last fifteen years. He has been Coordinator of Ciudadanos contra la Pena de Muerte, President of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International, Section of Puerto Rico, Vice president of the Human Rights Commission of the Puerto Rico Bar Association and Coordinator of the First Social Forum of Puerto Rico.
Carmelo is one of the founders of the Puerto Rican Coalition against the Death Penalty, its former General Coordinator. Mr. Campos was also the Coordinator of ALAPÁS, a NGO devoted to provide services to, and advocate for, the murder victims’ families in Puerto Rico. He is currently a Professor of International Law, Penology and Victimology at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan and President of the Victims’ Rights Commission of the Puerto Rico Bar Association. Carmelo is a Ph. D. Candidate in International Law and International Relations at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
Jeanie Ollivierre
Secretary
Ms Jeanie Laurel Ollivierre is a Development Practitioner by profession currently serving as Volunteer Director of Marion House, Education/Training/Projects Officer for the St Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association and Coordinator for the Network of NGO’s; a twenty (21) national level Civil Society organization, all of which are registered non-profit.
She has served as teacher with the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines between 1968 and 1987, performing duties at both Primary and Secondary schools on mainland St Vincent and on the Grenadines island of Bequia, after which she transferred to the general Public Service as head of the Women’s Bureau, functioning as Government advisor and implementer on Women’s issues until she took early retirement in 2001. In this capacity, she negotiated for numerous Women’s Development Projects and administered them nationally and locally.
Immediately after retirement, as a financial member of the NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY; the main Opposition Party in St Vincent and the Grenadines, JEANIE capitalized on her Development skills, mobilizing and reestablishing the Women, Youth, Party and Constituency Divisions at the fifteen individual constituency level, between May and October 2001, ensuring that ninety three (93) were functioning prior to the Party’s annual Convention in November. This therefore resulted in her election to the post of SECRETARY GENERAL of the Party; the ONLY female to date to have held the position since the Party’ institutionalization in 1975.
Jeanie was awarded a Teacher’s Certificate by the University of the West Indies in 1980, an advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Trade Union Education from Turin International University, with sponsorship from the International Labour Organisation, Diploma in Gender and Development Studies from the St Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia and an MSC in International Community Economic Development from the New Hampshire College, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA, the latter funded by the Organisation of American States and the Inter American Foundation.
Angelina Sookoo-Bobb
Executive Member
Angelina Gracy Sookoo-Bobb is the Young BPW representative for North America and the Caribbean Region for the triennium 2017 to 2020. She is originally from the culturally diverse twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She became an Attorney at Law in October, 2010 at the age of 25. She migrated to Saint Kitts in March 2011 to practice law as a civil litigation Attorney.
Angelina has always been an advocate for the empowerment of minority groups, marginalized persons and for women in particular. Some of her accomplishments in this area include:
- In June 2011 she worked with the UK Death Penalty Project to convert three (3) out of four (4) condemned prisoners’ death sentences to life imprisonment, the other prisoner had his conviction lifted and he was freed of all charges.
- In September 2015 she successfully defended on a probono basis (i.e. free of charge) the independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in St. Kitts and Nevis. The then DPP was forced out of Office by the newly installed government for politically motivated reasons.
- In November 2015 Angelina on behalf of BPW St. Kitts attended a Regional CARICOM Conference to critically review the Caricom Draft Model Protection against Sexual Harassment Bill. Many of her contributions have been accepted in the Revised Model.
- In June 2018 Angelina enthusiastically accepted the task of being the Country Representative for a three-year project funded by the EU and implemented in the Caribbean through The Death Penalty Project, Greater Caribbean For Life (GCL) and UWI CaveHill aimed at abolishing the Death Penalty. In November 2018 she also accepted the task of advocating for the implementation of the statutory requirement that Life Sentence Prisoners must have their sentences reviewed every four years.
Alexandra Ghany
Executive Member
Alexandra Ghany is currently a student at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago pursuing her Legal Education Certificate (LEC). Though young, Alexandra has a wealth of experience in advocacy and law as she has previously served as the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs in Trinidad & Tobago’s National Youth Parliament, worked as a Law & Legal Systems tutor at the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies, and conducted research for Dr. Arif Bulkan, who sits on the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations. Alexandra also currently runs her own legal blog, The Jealous Mistress.
She attained her LLB (Hons.) from the University of the West Indies in 2022 and previously attended St. Stephen’s College.
Since joining GCL, Alexandra has begun managing its online presence, as well as representing GCL in various conferences and meetings with GCL’s collaborators.
Khaleem Ali
Executive Member
Khaleem Ali is a 24-year-old graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Laws Degree (First Class Honours.) Khaleem is a proud alumnus of Bishop Anstey Trinity College East. Khaleem serves as a Deputy CARICOM Youth Ambassador to the CARICOM Secretariat, Chief Operations Officer and Director of Youth Votes Matter and is an Executive Member of Greater Caribbean for Life.In 2021, Khaleem was named a finalist for the Oxford Rhodes Scholarship and in 2020 Khaleem was awarded the UWI Star Scholarship which recognises the top-performing student in each faculty. Khaleem is the recipient of the Dr Eric Williams Award from CXC and the holder of the “Best Debater” title from the National Youth Parliament. In 2022, Khaleem represented the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament as Shadow Attorney General (Opposition), his debate style, amendments and diplomacy skills were lauded by members of the National Parliament, Foreign delegations and presiding officers from across the Commonwealth.
Khaleem has worked in the Legal Department at the Office of the Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago where he provided research assistance, drafted contracts, leases, prepared opinions on Parliamentary Practice and Procedure (notably for the removal of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and served as a member of the Secretariat of the JSC for the Fisheries Management Bill, The JSC on the Representation of the People (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, The JSC for the Shipping Bill and the JSCs for Foreign Affairs and Energy. Khaleem has also provided legal research services and written Opinions for Dr. Arif Bulkan who sat as a member of the UN Human Rights Commission for decisions of the Committee and in the Universal Periodic Review Process.
Khaleem is currently pursuing his Legal Education Certificate and aspires to a career in service and politics.
Want to work with us?
The project EIDHR/2017/ 394-69 “Building a Platform for Abolition: Strengthening the Anti-Death Penalty Movement in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.” is managed by Annetta Jackson who serves as the current Project Manager for the European Union funded Death Penalty Abolition project.
If you would like to collaborate with GCL and its partners on the project or need access to additional resources, guidance, and support regarding anti-Death Penalty activism in the Eastern Caribbean, you can contact her at:
Email: gclvdp@gmail.com
The Greater Caribbean For Life 