Almost two weeks after LGBT activist and human rights defender Joel Simpson was beaten by a gang of men at Bourda Market, police are still to make a single arrest. Guyana Standard understands that this is the state of affairs despite the fact that the alleged ringleader of the attack was identified while cops were furnished with footage and statements from Simpson and his friends.
However, even as the police are still to follow up on the matter, the Ministry of Social Protection today condemned the attack.
The ministry issued a statement labelling the attack on Simpson — who is the Managing Director of Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana — “completely unwarranted and a veiled threat to silencing critical civic voices on national issues, thereby reducing the scope for genuine advocacy in Guyana.”
The ministry said that the attack is a reminder that despite the many gains that have been made over the last decades, LGBT+ people continue to face threats of violence.
The ministry further said that the APNU+AFC administration is committed to protecting and promoting the dignity and freedom of every human being “for we believe that every individual has rights that are inherent and inviolable.”
The ministry reminded that the Constitution of Guyana guarantees the respect of human dignity and protection from cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, as well as totally prohibits the violation of the right to freedom from torture and ill-treatment.
“Now more than ever is the time for us to stand together as a country and support each other. LGBT people should be able to feel safe at work, in the streets and to be accepted for who they are,” the statement read.
The ring leader of the gang of men who assaulted Simpson was identified as Maverick De Abreu. While the police were furnished with video evidence, no arrest has been made.
De Abreu is said to be a known troublemaker who was charged by the police a number of times. He was charged in February 2017 for discharging a loaded firearm at his then-pregnant girlfriend and her sister at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown. However, he was never convicted since the victim did not pursue the matter.
On April 16 of that same year, a wanted bulletin was issued for De Abreu after he allegedly assaulted Trinidadian Soca sensation Rodney LeBlanc, who is known popularly by his stage name “Benjai”. That matter is still ongoing in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
