The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has launched a fund-raising drive to cover the cost of bringing a team of forensic specialists from Argentina to investigate the murders of three young men on the West Berbice in September 2020 and pledges of $1.2m have already been received.
In a statement yesterday, the GHRA said “Resolving this crime in a manner acceptable to the majority of right-thinking Guyanese will contribute significantly to ethnic reconciliation in Guyana. The Guyana Police Force is on record as indicating they would welcome the assistance of the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (EAAF) to assist them”.
Isaiah Henry, 16, a student at the Woodley Park Secondary School, and Joel Henry, 18, who worked at the Blairmont Estate, went missing on Saturday, September 5, after they left home for the Cotton Tree backlands to pick coconuts.
After the cousins did not return home, relatives lodged missing-persons reports with the police and subsequently launched a search. It was while searching that the bodies of the teens were discovered. The discovery of the bodies sparked days of unrest in West Berbice. Autopsies performed on the bodies of the teenagers showed that they both died from haemorrhage and shock due to multiple wounds.
Days after this, another teenager, Singh, was also murdered in what is believed to be a reprisal killing.
The GHRA fund-raising drive follows silence from the government on whether it will finance any part of the team’s cost. Moreover, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn appeared to rule out any role for the Argentine investigators. He told reporters on Monday that the Government does not intend to go beyond its “normal lines” of engagement in trying to solve the murders. Benn said in cases of this nature, it’s a norm for authorities to engage overseas agencies from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
The GHRA statement yesterday said that it views the fund-raising effort as an opportunity for promoting ethnic reconciliation.
“Raising the necessary funds from multiple small, politically independent donations is an opportunity for many people to make common cause in resolving these murders”, the statement said.
It noted that the initiative to bring the Argentinean team has been a product of cooperation between the Guyana Police Force, the law firm for the Henry family, Hughes, Fields & Stoby and the GHRA. It said that in order to protect the arrangement, it is essential that the civic character of the initiative be immunised from any suggestion of partisan political influence. It said that pledges from all individuals and civic (non-partisan) organizations are welcome.
GHRA said that the response of faith-based organizations has been particularly encouraging, with offers to hold special collections over the next two week-ends during religious services. GHRA is encouraging other organizations, professional firms, commercial businesses and other NGOs to organize for their employees and members to make a joint donation. All pledges will be treated confidentially, it added.
The statement said that since the Government has yet to respond to the invitation that it provide 50% of the financing, the GHRA is recommending that people initially pledge a particular sum, but do not transfer it until the position of the Government is clarified and the GHRA specifically requests them.
GHRA said that with pledges for $1.2m received in the first 24 hours following the announcement of the fund, it is hopeful that the total will be secured without a prolonged delay. Around $7m is believed to be needed.
Pledges can be made through:
i) GHRA e-mail address ghra_guy@gmail.com
ii) GHRA Facebook page which will be available from today.
iii) Due to COVID-19 restrictions the GHRA office is open between 9.00-12.00 each week-day for any clarifications.
