Dear Editor,
Paul Thom a young man residing in Linden was picked up by the police on Monday October 1, from the house he was staying with his reputed wife and child (baby) for questioning on reported lost items. Up until Wednes-day, October 3 he was still in custody, and no one, not even his reputed wife was allowed to see him or talk to him. Is this action by the police proper and in keeping with the law?
Mr. Editor, in the light of the above and all that is taking place; rapid increase in criminal activities, police brutality/torturing of suspects to extract information, wrongful detention, the unprofessional modus operandi of the police and the inevitable degeneration in human rights, I think it has become necessary for the Guyana Human Rights Association to have copies of a basic human rights code, of what every citizen needs to know/do when confronted/arrested by the police, circulated widely.
Inspite of all that the Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police are saying, the police force seems to be spinning out of control, adding fuel to an already wobbly, fragile and dangerous social state by the haphazard manner in dealing with innocent citizens. While we would like the police to get on top of the crime situation, they cannot do so by crass disregard for citizens rights.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
