With the political opposition vowing to up protest action against the David Granger-led administration, the party has issued a reminder to the armed forces that Guyana is part of numerous human right treaties and any attempt to stop protests will be internationalised.
This is according to Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)’s Executive Member, Juan Edghill, during a media engagement at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Church Street Georgetown, yesterday.
The politician said that while the party commends the professionalism displayed by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during the picketing exercise in Kingston on Thursday last, there were a few officials who were “overzealous”.
“ I join with my colleagues to commend the Commanders, the officers and ranks for the way they engaged the protestors yesterday (Thursday). There were a few who were overzealous or probably taking instructions from outside of the regular. But, by and large, from all intents and purposes and observations, the commanders and officers were all acting professionally. We in the Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic will like to publicly state that we applaud the professionalism that the Guyana Police Force displayed.”
Referencing several human rights treaties and arrangements that Guyana is signatory to, Edghill issued a reminder to both the GPF, and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
“You want to know something about these conventions? There are courts and tribunals that are established internationally, [so that] abuses by persons against the human rights of citizens of a country, are forceable in law in those tribunals and courts outside of Guyana. So, I want to say to all the commanders and all the high commanders of the army, who may be tempted to be overzealous, your actions will be internationalised,” he said.
The protest action by the PPP/C last Thursday has been generating a lot of debate regarding the conduct of the protestors, with the government crying “hooliganism”. The police force has since condemned the conduct of that protest, saying that the demonstration was obstructive since it momentarily interrupted the proceedings of an event where the president was a guest.
The force has also indicated that its members throughout the country will be on “high alert’, to respond to a reoccurrence of demonstration that seek to disrupt and jeopardise the well-being of others.
