In 2002, 2013 and 2016, Amnesty International reported on human rights violations by Guyana’s security forces, which included extrajudicial killings. These killings were tied to Guyana’s active drug trafficking trade, which saw Guyana becoming known as a Narco-State under the rule of the PPP/C. This view of Guyana was solidified through the reign of Roger Khan, who was responsible not only for increased levels of narco-trafficking in and out of Guyana, but also contributed to one of the worst crime waves Guyana has ever seen.
Estimated to be responsible for dozens of extrajudicial killings, the Phantom Squad, led by Khan was made up of ex-convicts, policemen and other security personnel. The Phantom Squad has long been rumoured to have links to those within the upper echelons of the PPP/C. After his capture, Khan even took out a full-page ad in the newspapers, stating that he was fighting crime on behalf of the Government, following the 2002 prison break.
Despite their reach and popularity, the Phantom Squad was not the only killing Squad in Guyana during that period. There was also the “Death Squad” and the Target Special Squad, popularly known as the “Black Clothes Police.” According to various sources, former Home Affairs Minister of the PPP/C, Ronald Gajraj, was the one responsible for the formation of the Death Squad. The Death Squad had been seen as necessary to fight gang violence as regular police officers were unequipped to deal with it. The Death Squad was responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial deaths and disappearances, including that of Journalist, Ronald Waddell. The Black Clothes Police, which was an arm of the police set up to deal with violent crime frequently targeted underprivileged communities. It was disbanded following continued concerns over extrajudicial killings they carried out.
Additionally, gangs were responsible for the deaths of many Guyanese, the most notorious of which was the Buxton Gang. Leader of the gang, Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins, claimed that the Phantom Squad, who were trying to get to him, had kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend. Fineman vowed to create terror until her return, resulting in two massacres that saw the deaths of over 20 people in Lusignan and Bartica. Police killed Fineman in 2008.
While a lot of details to this day remain murky about the three killing squads that held Guyana under siege along with gangs, one thing that has always been clear is that extrajudicial killings have long been an unquestionable part of our violent history. To hear, President Irfaan Ali tell it however, there is no evidence to back up claims of illegal killings during his party’s tenure from 1992 to 2015. Responding to claims that since their return to office that there has been a seeming return to extrajudicial killings, Ali stated “You can’t return to something that never existed.” Standing before an international audience, maybe Ali felt it only right to continue to oil the PR machine of the government. Maybe, he actually believes the words he utters despite the very apparent foundation of untruth they stand upon. Or maybe, he simply does not understand what an extrajudicial killing is.
For edification purposes, let’s explore the meaning… An extrajudicial killing is any killing that is not authorized by a judgment made by a court where all judicial processes were undertaken. When someone in an official position deliberately kills or arranges the killing of another person without any legal process, it is known as an extrajudicial killing. Deaths that are the result of torture or other ill treatment in detention can also be labeled as extrajudicial killings, particularly if the State fails to address systemic patterns of violence, which is certainly the case in Guyana. In addition to State actors such as Presidents, Ministers, and members of the Disciplined Forces, extrajudicial killings can also be carried out by militias, death squads or other non-State actors. Persons that are often targeted are often political opponents, Activists (Courtney Crum-Ewing) and marginalized groups.
Over the past several months, the killings of young men by the police have caused many to believe that there is a resumption of extrajudicial killings by members of the force. One man was shot in his sleep at Dartmouth. Only last week, a 16-year-old was shot several times in his back by a police officer, resulting in his death. Are these not extrajudicial killings?
A popular excuse often used by policing forces following these killings is that the deceased were criminals. This excuse is a strategic one, as they know that as a society that is obsessed with punishment, there is very little sympathy or concern towards those who are seen as criminals. Predictably, those often portrayed as criminals are young Black men from impoverished communities. This helps to maintain a cycle of them being criminalized and killed. The environment in Guyana is one where State and non-State actors feel empowered to continuously take the lives of others, comfortable in the knowledge that they will bear no repercussions. Extrajudicial killings have simply become another feature of our society, where calls for process, accountability and justice are steadily ignored.
