The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has reiterated its pledge to protect individual citizens against abuse by officialdom.
This pronouncement was made in a statement to mark its 40th anniversary on October 17. The GHRA explained that it was founded in 1979 by a group of individuals drawn predominantly from professional, labour, and religious backgrounds in response to the “infamous” referendum that approved replacing the independence constitution by a 14% vote.
According to the association, the vast majority of cases it has handled have involved abuses suffered within the framework of the administration of justice: the death penalty, torture, police brutality, extra-judicial execution, deaths in prisons and police cells, as well as conditions in police lock-ups. Other areas of concern over the years included sexual violence against young women and girls, rights of Amerindian peoples, gender identity and sexual orientation, people with disabilities and people living with HIV and AIDS.
