Accusing the government of covering up torture allegations made by civilians, the PNCR yesterday renewed the call for an independent investigation of the joint services.
The party told reporters at its weekly press briefing that it is baffling and insulting that only allegations made by members of the security forces were the subject of Board of Inquiry investigation of members of the army. It was reacting to statements made recently by Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief-of Staff Commodore Gary Best, who said the inquiry dealt only with allegations made by two members of the army.
But the PNCR said by any definition, including that of the UN Convention Against Torture, several Guyanese have been tortured by the security forces. “Instead of accepting this fact and taking the right action to weed out those guilty of such nefarious practices from the security forces, the [Bharrat] Jagdeo administration has opted to cover-up and [to] deceive the public, through their usual propaganda blitz,” the party said. Nevertheless, it added that the Guyanese people cannot be convinced that Buxtonians Victor Jones and Patrick Sumner as well as the identified members of the security forces were not tortured. “The evidence is persuasive and pervasive,” it declared.
The party said it was amazed by the utterances of the Commodore Best, who accused the media of giving the security forces “an unjustified bad name by juxtaposing” the allegations of torture against Jones and Sumner with that made by members of the security forces, since only the latter was the subject of the torture report. “This is disingenuous, baffling and insulting to the intelligence of the Guyanese public,” the party stated, adding that like all members of society, it expected that all allegations of torture of citizens by the GDF, would have been the subject of the official investigation. “It seems that the Chief of Staff is signalling that Victor Jones and Patrick Sumner were not tortured by the GDF. If that is the case, he is duty bound to tell the nation who tortured those individuals,” the party stressed.
Further, the PNCR noted that both Jones and Sumner publicly said that they were handed over to the GDF by the police and while they were in the custody they were taken to a camp along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and brutally beaten and burnt, in an extended period of torture. “They have exposed the gruesome physical evidence to corroborate this. Is the Chief of Staff claiming that they are lying or all of this was a figment of their imagination?” the party asked. It said that its focus is on the inquiry report but that does not obscure the fact that there are outstanding allegations of torture against police and prison authorities. According to the party, there is credible evidence that David Zammett was brutally tortured by rogue elements of the police force and that Edwin Niles met his death at the hands of prison authorities. “The Minister of Home Affairs promised that there would be an investigation. That investigation has joined the army of phantom investigations which have been promised by this administration. But this is a very serious matter and the PNCR will keep it alive.”
The party called for an independent investigation, saying the police cannot investigate itself into the allegation of torture by its members. And while members of the prison service have been charged in relation to the Niles murder, the PNCR also urged an independent investigation, especially in view of the death of prisoner, Nolan Noble, in prison in July this year.
According to the party, when the government next reports to the UN committee against torture, “it will have the greatest difficulty explaining the blatant violations of the human rights of Patrick Sumner, Victor Jones, David Zammett, Alvin Wilson, Michael Dunn and Sharth Robertson” as the party would ensure that the committee is in full possession of all the facts on this matter.
The PNC/R I Guyana must realise that there is a time for talking and there is a time for actions……they are doing all the talking (actions speaks louder than words).
Not the party,but the leader is the failure. I guess is the same thing,but if you remove that dead weight Corbin,we will see some action.
You see what I don’t understand with the PNCR is that the are no longer a tough party .
Over the years the have watered to the likeness of some sappy zellow and have allowed too injustice until it has gotton out of hand now to get out ,
The last time I checked the were a bunch of tough politicans that made up that party
but after the split it seemed like the PNCR lost there backbone and became like a cock a roach scurrying away into a corner out of fright..
So SN I think you need to use up your space much more profitable instead of wasting precious space about what the PNCR has renewed there call for ..
I just think as always thy are trying to get attention but if the truth were to be told they PNCR do not have a voice in Guyana
Well said Reverend…you could not have phrased this better..that I think is the exact position with the PNCR…
I do not normally do this “Reverend Gary”; but, before you take your time to tell Stabroek News what they should do with their real estate… perhaps, you yourself should spend some time brushing up on your English grammar….. And, don’t we all make all kinds of mistakes at times.
Hope you are having a nice day today.
This is really a thorny issue that no one wants to deal with, i applaude the pnc for keeping the issue of torture on the forefront, yes and their needs to be an independent investigation on the issue of torture, because the army and police would be biased to investigate themselves.
Huh! Is the “PNCR” (as in the PNC in the Burnham era) as a party still alive or are they dead but still walking? :-D
No Kaieteur , They been dead since they took office years ago !
If they were alive , then they would not have to cheat at all the elections to win .
I’ll be a bit honest , When LFS was alive , he was the only one that had any life in the party.
Currently , they should rename the party ‘ PNCRD , ‘ D ‘ for dead !
Although I agree that an INDEPENDENT inquiry is needed, I don’t see the PNC/R achieving much. RC is in ‘bed’ with the current madministators. His outcries, to me, are only petty schemes he carries out with the PPP/C’s sanctioning to cloud the eyes of some & create an illusion that there is still a vibrant ‘opposition’. Corbin NEEDS to allow younger, stronger, more intelligent members come to the fore. Members who have clean track records, unquestionable character & can command respect. RC in the eyes of many, is just another PPP/C puppet.
In Democracy you can accuse the government of what have you, in burnamtime hush you mouth or you goin to jail/blows..
Agree .
The problem here is consistancy, to be effective you must be consistant…. the PNC for the most part has chosen to be selective in addressing issues affecting the Guyanese people, and i think this comes form ineffective leadership, the party is only as strong as it’s leadership. The PNC needs to look at itself in the mirrior and ask one question, am i capable of serving the people of this country,,,,am i giving my best to the people?, and if the answer is no, which i think it is, then we need a change.
http://www.stabroeknews.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif
PNCR renews call for independent torture probe—–O ME GAWD…..O ME LAWD..
PNCR still alive?
Now I start believenin in JUMBIE………………..
WAY TO GO PNC..PNCR…PNC/R1G WATEVA ITS CALLED….
Man yuh nevah original.
Yuh always jumping pun sumting widout commenting pun the real ting.
Lawd…is time you see de optician and get dem evileyes right sighted!
So what’s your point if there is any?
Should there not be some probe into the torture of those men?
Why not make some meaningful comment on how, who, where wnd when
some probe could be started.
How about you…seeing that the evileyes could be right sighted !
Aha… Ah notice you not supporting torture or ’squeezing’ now, even in a Freudian manner, e-e. Cat got u tong?
I am not going to touch this one further than to say that someone should assist the tortured men to file a lawsuit against the perpetrators regardless of whether they are government agents or not.