Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Geeta Chandan-Edmond has submitted a motion calling on the National Assembly to compel the government to fully disclose everything that happened at the Lusignan Prison during the unrest of September 19 which led to the death of two inmates.
The APNU+AFC parliamentarian has also asked for the public to be fully informed of measures put in place to prevent a possible recurrence and for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government to “accept collective responsibility” for the unrest and the resultant loss of life.
In the motion submitted yesterday to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, Chandan-Edmond contends that while it has been widely reported and confirmed that several prisoners were shot by members of the Guyana Prison Service resulting in injuries and deaths the lack of specific information surrounding the matters are of public concern.
“The Home Affairs Minister has failed to provide answers…as to the circumstances which led to the unrest, injuries sustained and the subsequent deaths of several prisoners,” she stressed, adding that that the family of at least one of the dead prisoners is disputing the Govern-ment’s version of the events.
According to the Parliamentarian it is important and in the public’s interest for the specific facts and circumstances to be known and understood to prevent a recurrence.
While the motion, made public by the main opposition is titled “Appointment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the unrest at the Lusignan prison, the subsequent deaths of and the injury of several prisoners on the 19th day of September, 2020” there is no such request in its resolve clauses.
The preamble reminds that the Com-mission of Inquiry Act, Chapter 19:03 grants the President the power to establish a commission “to inquire into any matters in which an inquiry would in the opinion of the President be for the public welfare” but the motion itself does not request that such a commission be established.
Over the last few months there have been several incidents of unrest at the Lusignan Prison. The September 19 incident is however the only one to result in deaths after members of the GPS fired live rounds at inmates ostensibly to prevent a breakout.
According to a statement from the GPS on the matter, two prisoners were shot and killed while five others prisoners were injured by guards stationed in the prison’s tower in the midst of rushing towards the main gate to escape.
The shooting capped off hours of protests by inmates over a number of issues, including overcrowding at the facility and the risk of exposure to COVID-19, which were raised earlier in the day when the Home Affairs and Health ministers visited. Overcrowding at the facility has been a longstanding concern.
The deceased were identified as Earl Graham, age 51, who had been sentenced to three months imprisonment for Mali-cious Wounding, Assault and Resisting Arrest and Winston Herbert, age 21 who was in custody for alleged rape.
Graham’s relatives have questioned the decision by guards to use lethal force and called for an investigation to be conducted into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Janice Williams, a sister of the deceas-ed, during an interview with Stabroek News stated that her family has not received any information as to what is being done to investigate the way in which her brother’s life was taken.
The woman said they were told that it was a prison officer who had shot and killed Graham while he was inside the perimeters of the prison.
Williams, who wanted to know whether or not the prison officer was being investigated, said that no one has reached out to the family or offered an apology since Graham’s burial.
When this newspaper contacted Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, he had stated that the police were currently collecting statements and are conducting an investigation to determine the way forward.
Samuels explained that the use of force in prison is guided by outlined principles and he is positive that any investigation would reveal that the first act of the officer on the day in question, was not to go and shoot live rounds.
He further pointed out that if the threat levels continue to rise to a state which places the prison at risk to be overrun, then by law prison officers are mandated to increase their use of force.
