The APNU+AFC in a press statement yesterday condemned the recent serving of a court summons by the local police on political commentator, Rickford Burke, in New York.
The opposition in the statement claimed that this action by the government is the latest in its long-continuing efforts to intimidate and silence Burke, who is a known critic of the PPP/C over racial and political discrimination.
The party believes that the PPP/C government has shown the extent of its depravity and its disdain for the constitutional rights of citizens when serving the summons on Burke at his residence in New York.
“No Guyanese it is now safe from the PPP’s vindictiveness and dictatorial rule”, the statement read.
The Opposition reminded that in July, the government enacted the Foreign Judgements (Reciprocal Enforcement) Amendment Act, which allows for judgments and court orders passed in Guyana to be enforceable in as many as sixty foreign countries.
The APNU+AFC in its accusatory statement said, “The PPP’s intent is clear: silence its critics wherever they are.”
The party said that Guyanese locally, and in the Diaspora, must demand that the government cease the harassment of the political commentator and respect his constitutional freedoms of expression and association.
“Guyanese must demand that the PPP instead prosecute its VP against whom serious allegations of bribery and corruption have been levelled. It must also prosecute its ministers and cronies for corruption and other illegalities, inclusive of rape,” the release noted.
“We in the Opposition, call on citizens to remain vigilant and united against the attempts of the PPP to destroy democracy and to impose dictatorship in Guyana,” it added.
The Opposition also condemned the alleged “politicization” of the Guyana Police Force by the government of the day. The party claimed that the government is using the police force as an element to trump up charges against its opponents as a way to silence them.
“There are many such trumped up charges against members of the Opposition while having no evidence of wrongdoings.”
As such the party is urging the government to end this misuse of the law enforcement agency to harass its opponents.
An Assistant Superintendent of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on December 16, served two summonses in New York, USA, on Burke who is wanted here on two charges.
A release on Wednesday from the GPF said that on the 13th of December, 2023, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rodwell Sarabo, travelled to the United States with both summonses in his possession.
On December 16th, Sarabo met with Mark Wesserman, a process server based in the United States of America and they served both summonses on Burke at his home address at Maple Street, Brooklyn, New York. Both summonses were read to Burke and he indicated that he understood. The summonses require him to be present in court in Guyana on March 28, 2024.
On December 03, 2021, the Guyana Police Force issued a wanted bulletin for Burke concerning the following offences: 1) the incitement of hostility or ill-will on the grounds of race, under the Racial Hostility Act. 2) Sedition under the Cyber Crime Act. 3) Use of a computer system to coerce and intimidate a person, under the Cyber Crime Act. 4) Seditious libel contrary to common law. 5) Seditious libel under the peace under the Summary Jurisdiction Offences Act. 6) Inciting public terror under the Criminal Law Offences Act.
On September 29, 2022, the GPF again issued a wanted bulletin for Burke for the offence of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, contrary to Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act, Chapter 8:01 with regard to the publication of defamatory libel allegedly to extort money from Afras Mohammed.
On August 18, two charges were filed at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court against Burke for the said offence. Burke who resides in the United States of America, was absent from Court. As such, the magistrate ordered that the summonses be prepared and served on Burke to attend the Vigilance Magistrate’s court on March 28, 2024.
The GPF said it wished to make it known that a similar course of action will be adopted against persons who are outside of the jurisdiction and engage in criminal conduct.
