An immediate moratorium on the fining and jailing of Venezuelan immigrants for illegal entry into Guyana is among the proposals from seven civil society organizations, which are calling on the government to urgently adopt “sensible humanitarian policies” to address the continued influx of persons fleeing Venezuela.
“In making the proposals set out…, the signatories of this statement are conscious of the very limited resources Guyana can bring to bear on a refugee crisis. However, we are also conscious that providing Venezuelans with the assurance that they will not be treated as criminals and hounded out of the country is a humanitarian response well within Guyana’s capacity to implement, the Amerindian Peoples Association, the Anglican Diocese of Guyana, Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc., the Guyana Islamic Trust, the Guyana Human Rights Association, Policy Forum Guyana and Red Thread said in a joint statement, which was issued on Thursday.
They urged that the judiciary cease with immediate effect the practice of fining and jailing illegal Venezuelan immigrants, the majority of whom are women.
