Dear Editor,
On Friday October 30th 2026, Jasmin Cort and family members, who lost loved ones in the capsizing and sinking of the 88-year-old MV Barima, and other citizens of Guyana took part in a peaceful protest in the vicinity of the Umana Yana and the seawall area where King Charles was officially scheduled to meet with members at the public.
The protesters armed only with placards were demanding answers about their missing and presumed dead relatives, the lack of information on the salvage of the sunken MV Barima and lack of accountability and justice after 112 days.
Other protesters also highlighted the issue of reparations. The protesters were not even close to the area where the King was scheduled to meet with members of the public.
Article 147 of Guyana’s constitution explicitly guarantees the fundamental right and protection of freedom of assembly, association, freedom of conscience and peaceful demonstration.
As citizens, Guyanese have the right to engage in peaceful protests and public demonstrations without arbitrary state interference once protests or demonstrations are peaceful. Unfortunately, these constitutional rights of citizens of Guyana were denied and trampled on by members of the Guyana Police Force on Friday October 30, no doubt following instructions by the political directorate of the Guyana Police Force through State parties and the political directorate.
Additionally, Guyana by signing and ratifying international and regional human rights instruments including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights (IACHR) Article 15) is on record as recognizing and upholding the right to peaceful assembly and is duty bound to respect and ensure that these citizen rights are not violated or denied.
But it was not only the denial of the right to assembly and peaceful protest which was on public display, it was the shocking violent and unprofessional behaviour, including physical manhandling and womanhandling meted out to Jasmin Cort and other female protesters.
Videos have shown at least three women thrown to the ground by the shoving and pushing of members of the Guyana Police Force, including women police officers. These physical assaults on peaceful, unarmed citizens must be investigated and the policewomen and policemen responsible for these unwarranted assaults charged and brought before the Courts to answer for these violations of the constitutional right of citizens.
We also note other alleged violations of the laws of Guyana by members of the Guyana Police Force ranging from Deputy Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh, who after almost one month has still not been charged after credible reports of sexual assault on October 3, 2026, were made against him by a fellow female police inspector and who remains as head of SOCU in the face of these damning accusations.
The death of Gavin Kennard Douglas following his detention at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station after being detained at a police roadblock while driving a car warrants a full investigation. We note that 4 police officers have since been arrested and blunt force trauma and deadly tasering revealed by the postmortem points as credible causes of death. The harsh and unwarranted treatment the elected leader of the opposition was subjected to including being handcuffed and shackled for a charge of cybercrime resulting from a video recording of Senior Superintendent of Police and Head of the Special Branch allegedly firing at the car of the Leader of the Opposition.
We the following civil society organizations and individuals condemn in the strongest terms this attack on Guyanese citizens exercising their right and freedom of assembly, conscience and association through protesting peacefully about issues affecting their rights as citizens on October 30th.
We demand that an independent investigation into the physical and verbal assaults and mishandling of protesters by Guyana Police Force members, and the offending police officers be charged and brought before the appropriate courts of Guyana for violating the guaranteed constitutional rights of citizens.
We also call for renewed training for all police officers on the Constitution of Guyana, and particularly the constitutional rights of citizens of Guyana.
It does not bode well if a 3rd cohort of 345 Guyanese participants have graduated, according to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, from the International Human Rights Law Certificate Course while numerous violations of human rights continue.
Yours sincerely
Alissa Trotz
Bonita Harris
Caribbean Labour Solidarity
Citizens Against Rape
Colette McDermott
Colin Klautky
Danielle John
Danuta Radzik
Darshanand Khusial
Deborah Hamiliton
Desmond Alli
Dr. Raquel Thomas
Eaton Hubbard
Guyanese Organization of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP)
Janette Bulkan
Jean La Rose
Laura George
Leader of the Indigenous Peoples Delegation- Mark Anthony Rodrigues
Lisa Hubbard
Mellissa Ifill
Mike Persaud
Nicole Ward
Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN)
Red Thread
Rev. Patricia Sheerattan- Bisnauth
Sonia Noel
Steering Committee Chairman ACDA – Elton McRae
Terry Ceasar
Transparency International Guyana (TIGI)
Vanda Radzik
Vidyaratha Kissoon
We The People (Gen Z Youth Movement)
Discussion