Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo strongly denounced on Thursday, the inhumane treatment of Venezuelan nationals in Guyana, asserting that the nation stands firmly against xenophobia.
Dr. Jagdeo expressed his deep concern after a distressing video surfaced on social media, revealing the appalling mistreatment of Venezuelan individuals, including bullying and forced nudity.
During a press engagement the Guyanese leader said, “Over the past week, we’ve seen some reprehensible incidents targeting Venezuelans, totally reprehensible.”
He added that, “We are not going to be part of any movement to promote xenophobia in our country.”
Xenophobia, he explained, is the unjust aversion to or prejudice against people from other countries. The Vice President further highlighted that a significant number of migrants in Guyana still have roots in Guyanese heritage though having emigrated to Venezuela in the past due to economic hardships. Regardless of their origins, he stressed that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, as they qualify for state protection as refugees.
In a recent development, Ahmad Ally, a 37-year-old resident of Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara, was placed in police custody, after a disturbing video circulated on social media, which captured the humiliating mistreatment of two Venezuelan nationals who were coerced into public nudity in Peters Hall.
Ahmad Ally had voluntarily surrendered himself to the Providence Police Station, accompanied by his legal representative. Following his arrest, he was taken to the Golden Grove Police Station for a video interview which was conducted in the presence of his lawyer. During the interview, Ally admitted to having a cutlass in his possession and instructing the victims to falsely claim they were thieves while coercing them to disrobe and walk naked down the street. However, he maintained that he neither assaulted the victims nor was aware of the video’s origin.
The investigation into this disturbing incident continues.