The United Nations (UN) Independent Expert on Minority issues, Gay McDougal  met last Wednesday with a delegation from the People’s National Congress Reform  and the party gave an account of what it called “a disturbing trend in human rights violations“ among other issues.

In a statement  issued last Wednesday the party said PNCR Leader  Robert Corbin headed the delegation  which also included  party chairman Winston Murray, chief whip Lance Carberry and executive members Aubrey Norton and Clarissa Riehl.

McDougal was accompanied  by UN Human Rights Officer Graham Fox who is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and Wedna Cambridge of the United Nations Development Programme.

The statement said Corbin also discussed  the torture of citizens,  discrimination  in terms of the allocation of resources, repeated breaches of the constitution and the control of the media and the biased reporting of violent events which have exacerbated race relations.

According to the party, McDougal was grateful for the detailed and factual presentation of the PNCR and allowed that it helped her to have a better appreciation of the situation in Guyana.

While here McDougal also met with members of the government, civil society organizations and other groups. McDougal is to present a report on her discussions and analysis to the UN Human Rights Council in March next year. The PNCR said McDougal informed that her visit was in effect a follow-up to that of the UN Rapporteur on Racism.