The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) yesterday called on the governing authorities to cease what it said was a campaign of harassment of the Leader of the Opposition.
In a statement it called on the governing authorities to respect the results of national elections which “unquestioningly confirmed his right to the respect and privileges due to the Leader of the Opposition. We equally issue a similar call to all Agencies of the State to resist any attempts to subvert their political independence”.
The GHRA statement came in the wake of Friday’s hurried transporting of Mohamed before the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court at 4.30 pm even as his lawyers were before a High Court judge in habeas corpus proceedings.
Mohamed was charged in relation to the corrupt obtaining of CCTV footage of a shooting in Kitty in which he was fired at by the Head of the Police Special Branch. After the charge was read to Mohamed he was remanded by Magistrate Abigail Gibbs.
He was then taken to the Lusignan Prison where his family members have complained that he has been kept in solitary confinement with a bright light directed on him all day and in generally inhumane conditions. This claim by the family was denied yesterday by the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) which however did not explain why he was in solitary confinement or why a light was being shone on him.
In its statement yesterday, GHRA charged that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Magistracy “have colluded in disgraceful violation of the rights of the Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohammed, who holds the constitutional status of a person with the standing of a Minister. These agencies ensured that the Leader of the Opposition would spend the week-end in prison by convening a hasty legal hearing at 4.30 p.m. on a Friday afternoon in order to ensure he spent the week-end detained in prison”.
GHRA said that the move against Mohamed is the latest in a “catalogue of police harassment against him by the ruling party”.
It charged that under the current ruling party – the PPP – criminal investigation has occupied a low priority within the Guyana Police Force.
“The popular perception is that political opponents frequently supplant criminals as the targets of police activity with the distinction between common criminals, subversives, political opposition, labour organizations and disadvantaged sectors adjustable. Criminal investigation, therefore, has been rendered seriously dysfunctional by a Government that does not wait for proof to target its perceived ‘enemies’, nor is concerned by evidence of illegal behaviour by its ‘friends’. Investigations are supplanted by surveillance operations to collect information for purposes of political advantage rather than use in court trials. The ruling party have never respected Mohamed winning substantial support in national elections, nor his occupying an office of State, namely the Leader of the Opposition”, the GHRA charged.
It added that the strategy of harassment of Mohamed appears complex, “related to friendships in high places turned sour, evasion of taxes, and the extradition proceedings against him and his father”.
Addressing the international legal principles governing extradition, the GHRA said that the first of these is that of the sovereignty of the requested State and the protection of its national interest.
“In other words, extradition is not obligatory, it is always discretionary and at the behest of the State. It should also be noted that the national interest is distinct from mere partisan interest of the political Executive”, the GHRA said.
Secondly, it said that the Judiciary must also keep in mind the open and public political clash between the Governing Party constituting the Executive and the accused.
“In these circumstances, we submit, the Judiciary must take on the role of guardian of justice for the accused to neutralize partisan interests of the Executive”, the GHRA asserted.
Thirdly, even when extradition is approved, the GHRA said that the timing of its implementation is consequential to good governance such a move would trigger. Extradition, it said, may be postponed until the political responsibilities, exercised by the accused person, are completed.
Accusations
Mohamed’s sister, Hana Khamelia on Friday night made a series of accusations about the conditions under which Mohamed was being kept at the Lusignan Prison.
In a video post Hana Khamelia outlined what she said was a plan by the government to incarcerate him at Lusignan. She related that after he had been detained for 48 hours without charge at the Kitty Police Station, habeas corpus proceedings were launched in the High Court on Friday before Justice Nicola Pierre.
She said that just before Justice Pierre was to issue her orders the court was notified that Mohamed had been charged and was to appear at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court at 4.30 pm when the court is usually no longer functioning.
She said that his counsel had to scramble to get to the court in the midst of heavy traffic. After being charged and denied bail by the magistrate, Hana Khamelia said that Mohamed was hustled into a patrol van and through side streets away from his supporters who were demanding his immediate release.
She said that he was taken to the Lusignan prison in handcuffs and shackles as the PPP wanted to punish and humiliate him. She added that an entire floor of the building was cleared so he could be in solitary confinement. She stated that there was no ventilation, no windows and there is a bright light on 24 hours without any access to a light switch. The facility was called a punishment room, preventing him from sleeping or even thinking.
She said that he told them during a brief visit on Saturday morning that it was mentally draining. She also related what were described as intolerable conditions in the prison which also saw blackouts on Friday.
The GPS yesterday rejected allegations of inhumane or degrading treatment, maintaining that his accommodation and supervision are determined by his security classification and are not intended as punishment.
Kiskadee Watch understands that Mohamed is permitted only 20 minutes with visitors, with visits restricted to Saturdays. His lawyers will approach the High Court today to seek bail, while a protest calling for his release is planned outside the Magistrate’s Court this morning.
His extradition proceedings alongside his father, Nazar Mohamed, are also scheduled to resume today before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman.
In its statement, the Prison Service acknowledged that claims had circulated concerning isolation, inadequate ventilation, continuous lighting, restrictions on exercise and limitations on contact with other prisoners.
It maintained that Mohamed was being managed “in accordance with established prison procedures, having regard to his classification, security requirements, safety and welfare.”
According to the GPS, Mohamed was admitted on Friday, October 30, and assessed through the Prison Management Offenders System as a high-profile prisoner.
“That classification informs decisions concerning his placement, accommodation and level of supervision. It is a security and management determination and is not intended as punishment,” the Service stated.
While rejecting the allegations collectively, the statement did not specifically explain the lighting arrangements or say whether the light in his cell area remains on continuously.
The GPS said Mohamed was examined by a medical officer and seen by a welfare officer upon admission. It added that the Officer-in-Charge of Lusignan Prison briefed him on the institution’s rules and the conditions governing his detention.
The Service also said reasonable access to family visits and communication had been facilitated.
According to its account, acting Assistant Director of Prisons for Operations, Deoraj Gyandat, met Mohamed’s mother and two sisters on Saturday, October 31, to explain arrangements for visits and telephone communication. They were subsequently permitted to visit him.
The statement did not specify the duration of that visit or whether Saturdays are his only permitted visiting days.
Following the visit, relatives requested permission to supply Mohamed’s meals because of concerns about his safety, the GPS said. The request was approved, subject to security procedures, with a designated family member authorised to deliver the food.
The Service further stated that Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot and Lusignan Prison Officer-in-Charge Seon Charles visited Mohamed later that day to assess his welfare and reinforce the requirements governing his conduct in custody.
During that interaction, Mohamed requested permission to telephone his son ahead of the child’s birthday on Sunday, November 1. The GPS said the request was granted.
He also asked for a fan serving his cell area to be adjusted, and the Service said the adjustment was made.
“A prisoner’s public profile does not diminish those protections, nor does it exempt that prisoner from the security procedures applicable to his classification,” the GPS stated.
It said his conditions would continue to be monitored and that access to medical care, welfare services, family contact and other entitlements would be facilitated under established procedures.
The GPS maintained that its responsibility includes safeguarding prisoners’ dignity, safety and welfare, and said it remained committed to applicable human-rights standards, including the principles reflected in the Nelson Mandela Rules.
Meanwhile, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) General Secretary Odessa Primus has called on diplomatic missions, international human rights organisations and the wider international community to scrutinise Mohamed’s treatment and what the party describes as a pattern of political persecution.
“What is happening to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, is no longer simply about one individual,” Primus said in a statement.
“It is about the future of our democracy, the freedom of political opposition, and the right of elected representatives to hold the Government accountable without fear of intimidation or persecution.”
Primus cited a series of arrests, investigations and seizures involving Mohamed over the past year, beginning with his arrest alongside his father in October 2025, shortly before Parliament’s first sitting.
Her account also referenced a February operation by the Special Organised Crime Unit at the family’s former business premises, during which she said cash, documents and electronic devices were seized.
She cited further attempts in March to challenge his continued bail over alleged breaches of police-reporting requirements, an August arrest following a joint-services operation involving his vessel at Friendship, and a September arrest concerning allegations surrounding drone activity and security protocols.
Primus further referenced his detention for approximately 81 hours following the October 12 incident involving Head of Special Branch Prem Narine, and his latest arrest and remand alongside a police constable over allegations surrounding the release of surveillance footage.
WIN characterises those events as political persecution. That remains the party’s allegation.
Primus also alleged that bank accounts belonging to WIN parliamentarians had been closed, affecting elected representatives’ ability to function.
“What began with repeated arrests and investigations has now escalated to the incarceration of the Leader of the Opposition,” she said.
“We are calling on the international community, including diplomatic missions and international human rights organizations, to pay attention, speak out, and hold this Government accountable.”
Primus maintained that allegations against Mohamed must be tested through the courts and that he is entitled to due process.
“The rule of law must apply equally to everyone. It must never become an instrument for intimidating, punishing, or silencing political opponents. Allegations must be tested in court, and every accused person is entitled to due process and a fair hearing,” she said.
She urged supporters to remain vigilant and participate in protest action when called upon.
“Whenever we call on you to stand up and protest, we expect you to come out in numbers and make your voices heard,” Primus stated.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday called for scrutiny of the decision to refuse Mohamed bail on a cybercrime charge, while accusing the government of using state institutions to constrain political opponents.
In a statement, APNU said respect for the law must be accompanied by consistency, impartiality and protection of the presumption of innocence.
“The law must never be an instrument against political opponents, nor a shield for those who enjoy favour or proximity to power,” the partnership stated.
Mohamed and Police Constable Ryan Greene were remanded that day by Magistrate Gibbs at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court after being jointly charged with Unauthorised Giving of Electronic Data under the Cybercrime Act. The matter was adjourned to November 24.
APNU described the charge as non-violent and noted the defence’s position that it was bailable. It argued that pending allegations could not be treated as convictions or displace an accused person’s entitlement to due process.
The partnership said the basis for refusing bail deserved close scrutiny and expressed confidence that any High Court application would be determined independently and on the evidence.
“No person, whatever their office, wealth or influence, is above the law, and APNU does not condone the breaking of it,” the statement said.
“Where allegations are made, they must be tested in a court of law and, if proven, the law must take its course. But the same law protects every person, with the presumption of innocence, due process and a fair hearing.”
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