The teen who was tortured while in custody at the Leonora police station has told his mother that three ranks beat him while a fourth interrogated him.
Investigations are ongoing into the incident and President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday announced that he has given the police two weeks to complete the probe, after which all the perpetrators will face the full consequences. The teen, who was severely burnt in his genital area, remains hospitalized and is under police guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
He has said that he would be able to identify the ranks who tortured him, his mother, Shirley Thomas told Stabroek News yesterday. She noted though that while in custody, his head was covered with a black jersey which was taped around his neck. Initial police investigations have led to two policemen being charged for unlawfully assaulting two other prisoners but no charges were filed in relation to the boy because he has not yet identified them.
His condition seems to be improving a little, Thomas stated, but noted that since he was hospitalized a week ago, she has not been able to talk with his doctor. She said that her son is reluctant to speak much about the incident. “When he think over this thing, like he frighten…he eyes start running water”, she said.
The torture of the teen has drawn widespread condemnation. He, along with Deonarine Rafick and Nouravie Wilfred had been arrested following the murder of retired Region Three vice-chairman Ramenaught Bisram, whose nude body was discovered in his home on October 26. Rafick was later charged with the murder and during his court appearance had alleged torture. In court, he displayed signs of a beating and had a gaping wound to his head which required stitches. Wilfred was released without charge after a week in custody.
When he was taken to court, Rafick had told relatives that the teen was “scorched” and they informed the boy’s parents. They investigated but police refused to disclose the lad’s whereabouts. However, they persisted and later found that he was being held at the Leonora police station, the Headquarters of ‘D’ Division. Ranks at Leonora had doused his pelvic area with a flammable liquid and set it afire. It was several days later, following media reports that the boy was taken to the hospital. The Kaieteur News had published a graphic photo of the burns. It is not clear who had taken the photo and under what circumstances but it was taken in the police station.
Following the reports, police launched an investigation and last week Sergeant Narine Lall and Constable Mohanram Dolai, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court charged with the unlawful wounding and felonious wounding of Rafick and Wilfred.
Thomas said yesterday that she needs justice for son. She declared that the policemen must be charged in relation to her son. He can identify them, she stated. According to her, the teen said that after the beatings started, he thought that he would be killed. “He sey mammy, me think me coulda dead”, she recalled.
Jagdeo had said that if the report does not satisfy him other options outside of the police will be considered. The strongest possible action have to be taken against all the perpetrators, the President had stated adding that “this action will not be limited to the direct participants”, but all those involved will have to bear some of the consequences. The opposition parties have announced their distrust in an investigation undertaken by the police saying it lacked credibility and instead, an independent and detailed probe is needed.
As she awaits justice, Thomas has met with staff of the Human Services Ministry and was given a food hamper and also money to make the journey to the hospital. The Ministry has said that it will assist in relation to her three younger children, who are still in school, she disclosed. She said that the teen’s 12-year-old brother appears to be “taking on” his brother’s torture and yesterday fell ill. She said that the smaller children keep asking about their brother.
If there were four police officers on duty at the station, who are the other two? Also who was the senor officer in charge? SN, can you enquire of the missing two?
All the officers involved, as well as, the senior officers who condone such practices, need to be brought to justice…period!
This is simlpe …..SN go ask for the Diary and you get all that information. Who was on duty? Who visit? Who call? and so on and so forth….its a simple as that.
The President is still to tell the Guyanese People who kill Fineman Sister is something wrong with the value of Black life. She was killed or I should say gun down.
If he couldn’t see their faces he could still recognize their voices, so what they have to do is get all the ranks at the station and put them in a room and let them talk….then he could id the individuals…..send them to court and straight to Camp Street.
I really do not understand how SN is posting so much rubbish from this individual,,,Really Mr Moderator, this is pure garbage from this individual…
In his defence, Soldier the chap does wake up early, early.
In SN defence, you must have noticed bloggers tend not to worry too much about facts but share from the pot of speculation and gossip.
That’s life!
Soldier, dey even put it a lead story as if wha relative tell them is gospel.The two Bajan papers had big storios on the service at Remembrance Day yesterday…Look wha we getting from SN dem today…half the usual junk and the rest ????…..
“Toy Soldier” I does ask them the same thing about you ….THE VERY SAME THING!!!! WAIT you aint got nothing to do in America?
Reddy, “The two Bajan papers had big storios on the service at Remembrance Day yesterday.” Can afford to do so, because non of their nationals are not subject to torture by their security force (s).
SN shows little aggressive journalism. It is usually KN which gathers the info almost as soon as it happens such as in this case, where Guyana and the wider world can fathom the extent of the torture not just by mere words but the actual picture.
If the photograph(s) were taken in the station then it had to be a police who took them and sold it to the highest bidder, this same police should be able to identify the torturers but KN will not want to disclose their source of information,now if the little man is not able to properly identify his tormentors we are all back to square one.
SN may be on the better side of things ,, KN offer incentives for information and photographs received, this is the extent to which some of the media houses in Guyana stoop…It is scary…
Better late than never, but too late, too late shall be the cry. The people of Guyana has already seen the government for what it is.
WHAT DO U EXPECTED THE POLICE ARE STILL GUARDING HIM SO THEY DRIVE FEAR IN HIM ,I WODER WHY THE POLICE ARE STILL ALLOWED TO GUARD HIM AN WHY NO PROPER GROUP IN TAKE COUSTODY OF THE KID ,HAS LONG THE POLICE HAVE CONTACT WITH THE CHILD THEY WILL THREATEN THE CHILD THEY WILL MAKE HIM LOTS OF PROMISE ,SECOND WHY NO GROUPS OF LAWYERS IN TAKE NO STATEMENT ON HIM .ALL THE POLICE RANKS AT THAT POLICE STAION SHOULD BE CHARGE SINCE THEY WHO DO IT TO THE CHILD SO STOP WASTE TIME AN ACT ,THE PRESIDENT SHOULD STOP SET DEAD LINE ON POLICE WORK LET THE POLICE DO THEIR WORK ,THIS NOT THE FRIST CASE OF TORTURE UNDER YOUR WATCH THIS IS NOT THE FRIST THEIR WAS MANY BEFOUR THIS AN U DO NOTHING U SAY NOTHING.
To GTSON2000 please have someone edit your letters to the press before you send them, I am Guyanese and I am embarassed after reading it, what is the rest of the world saying as if the tortue of the kid is not bad enough the letter you sent adds insult to injury.Nat G
I guess the facts are to much for u but thats the facts andn’t i dont need to edit what i say i notice that a word i spell wrong but so be it ,the word i was spelling is wonder what bad about my comments Nat Griffith
Have you ever heard of lower case. get real man…
yes mom see if he can point them out fast before the story boil downt..i hope that some outside country look at his interest and offer some help to him and his family as they may be targetted..this family will need protection after all is said and done….hope he recover soon….
Of course he can identify his torturers, hope he does it soon so that these beast can be charged and carted off to jail.
Amen-ra ….I hope you already see how the cops are going to get off:
1. they guarding him in the hospital
2. you understand what ‘guarding’ means to a kid?
3. before charges can be laid (archaic Guyana laws), he has to
identify his torturers
4. do you think that the torture was done in broad daylight?
5. how can he see them when he was probably blindfolded, kept
in a darkened area, plus their faces might be hooded?
6. you get my drift? this heading down the way of freedom!
No charges !
“Mom, I thought I was going to die from the TORTURE”, the child exclaimed in anguish to his overcome mother.
If this child’s words do not galvanize Guyanese to demand and produce justice, then they deserve the sordid state in which the PPP has placed them. TERROR must not be visited upon its defenseless citizens by rogue governments.
Enough with the excuses. The TORTURED child’s lawyer should have him ID the TORTURERS via photographs. He said he is able to ID his State abusers.
R U INSANE NO ID PARADE SUPPOSE TO BE DONE BY PHOTOGRAPH…IT MUST BE IN PERSON, AS I SAID AND WILL SAY AGAIN YOU DOSE BE HERE BLAAA BLAAA ING AND CASTING BLAME AND DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL U TALKING GO SLEEP WOMAN I AM TIRED OD SEEING U RUBBISH HERE
Why has Ramjattan not lobbied to have his client, the TORTURED child, ID the rogue police via photograph?
Is Ramjattan part of the solution or part of the problem?
Seems like even the medical doctor is hiding from the parent. He must be under direct orders not to issue any statements. Well, it seems that any statement or discussion of the teen’s wellbeing from him even to the parent will ‘apparently’ affect the outcome of this sordid affair.
Hahaaaaaa,,,The PPP wants her back True Guyanese…They miss her in the Party very much…
Baaassssmaattiee you again disturbing people!
soldier can’t give you a break BR, even changing his name to attack you.
Why all this delay in holding an ID parade?? Hold the darn thing at the boy’s bedside. His lawyer and parents must be present; the proceedings videotaped and copies of the video given to them immediately upon completion of the exercise. The rest of the proceedings should be ‘fast tracked.’
Meanwhile the head dictator is demanding an investigation to be completed in two weeks with a report that “satisfies” him – whatever that means!!!
It seems that this ‘torture’ of detained suspects has been an investigative ‘tool’ used by the GPF. If this is the case then the perpetrators should be punished and systems put in place to prevent its use in the future.
@ Reverend Dover who asked “could you please tell us who were the victims after 2002 jail break?”
Answer: The victims were from every strata of society.
WHY THE PUSSY FOOTING? Hold all the darm oficers that were on duty from BEGIN to the time of EXPOSURE of the CRIME and get them to SCREAM.Mr. Ramjattan have you forgotten the law? get to the doctor pressure him to release available information to the parents THIS IS HIGH CLASS ADVANTAGE THAT IS STILL BEING TOLORATED
I cannot imagine the tpye of barefaced people we dealing with on this site,,,look at Raj’s reply, the victims were from every strata when it was only one group of people that was targeted…
SN please don’t edit my blog because what I am about to say has scientific relevance and implication and would have created fodder for U.S researchers and other scientific based societies.
CHRIS RAM’s THEORY: in a recent letter said one of the faults to policing has been the call for its indianisation rather than its professionalisation.
FACTS:
Fact 1. There have been calls for ‘ethnic balance’ in the force since 1992 by Indian leaders.
Fact 2. The Torturers in the Leonora incident and army officers incidents happen to be Indians
Fact 3. These officers were appointed under the PPP. In the army case they were handpicked.
Fact 4: Jagdeo, his ministers and PPP have made statements about torture and police actions giving inference support for Police illegal actions (See also SN Sunday editorial)
RESEARCHERS’ INTEREST:
1. Is there a relationship between indianisation and torture?
2. How the implicit and explicit support of Jagdeo, his ministers and PPP contribute to torture and policing?
3. Did some section of Guyanese support for Roger Khan influenced continued policing behaviour?
4. Did Ronald Gajraj ‘innocence’ at the Commission of Enquiry influence continue policing behaviour?
5. Ramsammy and Roger Khan relationship and gov’t refusal to investigate the matter?
6. The gov’t refuses to release the Army Torture Investigation Report?
7. The fact that the army torturers were not disciplined and still remains in the army?
These are all of empirical interests to prove or disprove if there exit any causal relationship and social conditioning influencing the bestiality of one human to another inspite they are laws against torture.
The Behavioural Scientists would be all over this story. Where is the University of Guyana? Guyana needs to start embracing science if it wants to progress and have a place in the 21st century. You can’t talk about the presence or absence of racial phenomenon and racism in the U.S, Britain and other countries and can’t be allowed to discuss it in Guyana.
Very exciting contributory blog, Raj. A perspective from a thinking man.
Raj, the questions you raise are indeed valid and should stimulate discussion and or some degree of introspection but I believe that it is the permissive atmosphere that the PPP/Jagdeo administration has created and fostered that has allowed this culture of ineptitude, endemic corruption, rampant criminality and state sanctioned torture.
Change the demographics but keep the same atmosphere and the results would still be the same…just my two cents.
The politicisation of UG has been a clean sweep. Do not expect anything from them just as we do not see much from the thousand and 1 religious bodies in GY. ‘Civil society’ seems to have taken a siesta, I see only one small group out there. ACDA only yells here on the blog, they are lacking substance, they should have been leading from the front.
Stokes,Raj’s post “valid”. Really ? It’s just stale , repetitive one sided spin…
By the way, is’t this matter before the Guyana courts ? But SN permitting speculation and hearsay to sell more papers…yaaaawn….
Raj, could you please tell us who were the victims after 2002 jail break? And who were the victims, Mr Behaviourial Scientist?
SN, you are being used by some political activists posing as members of a certain ethnic group…per Raj, Bismattie and others.
Can Raj (or whatever) “Fact #3” be verified? This blogger is so partial in his/her views that one can see the prejudice instantly.
If he/she had touch on some other facts, which are provided hereunder, then this piece may have been taken more seriously by some:
Fact 1: That the PNC realizes that it cannot win free and fair elections because of past misgivings, so it is trying to destabilize the govt.
Fact 2: That member(s) of the PNC provided moral or other support to some criminal elements for the mayhem that befell the country, post 2002.
Fact 3: That the JS did not carry out their legitimate duties with dispatch, resulting in misery for predominantly Indian on the East Coast.
Fact 4: That without the help of RK, there would have been extraordinary loss of life and mayhem in the country.
There is no need to go on…we all know where this is going!
I hope you know Raj that Faria’s comments here represents the GoG’s position and views on this issue.
Never Reddy – So that’s the new approach that your political bosses give you; “the matter is before the courts.” Does that mean that common folk like us with an opinion can’t have a say? Because you represent the government’s point of view, you should desist from posting on the subject.
Furthermore, as you normally do, you fail to address the points raised in this case by Raj, specifically # 3 under facts and #s 6&7 under researcher’s interest. yuh gun answer back today or ah gun hear from yuh tomorrow when yuh yawn again?
SN, you promptly posted Raj’s blog which is replete with hearsay and speculations. However, my response is still awaiting moderation even though it contains facts that were reported by SN and KN. Bias!!!
Who is Chris Ram,,the accountant fella with the very thin lense??? What area does he fits into here???
Mr Moderator, you have to stop editing people’s comment and make one sided people like Raj feel important…This is why Dude said you are biased…
Norman Faria ‘writes
“By the way, is’t[sic] this matter before the Guyana courts”
The answer is no. The case of the other people they tortured is before the courts.
Pay attention.
GINA is not getting our money’s worth out of you.