The PNCR yesterday in reference to allegations of the use of torture by the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force maintained that neither of them can conduct credible and acceptable investigations of themselves.
The PNCR in a press release asserted that it “would only be satisfied by independent and impartial investigations.”
The party noted that a “certain misguided section” of the GDF intended to arrogantly engage in cheap partisan politics, and in its recent release in response to the PNCR’s last press statement, “that section of the GDF has accused the Party of seeking to destabilise and demoralise the GDF by sowing “seeds of hatred, enmity and discord among the populace towards ranks of the GDF.”
The PNCR said it rejected as “untrue and misguided” this “characterisation of its campaign against the conduct of torture by officers of the Military Criminal Intelligence Depart-ment (MCID).”
Indeed, far from seeking to demoralise and destabilise ranks of the GDF and sowing seeds of enmity and hatred, the PNCR declared that it is “doing the GDF a service by helping it to rid itself of the existing image of an institution which encourages and condones the reprehensible and criminal act of torture.”
According to the PNCR, it has “iron-clad proof that respected members of the GDF have been embarrassed by the torture of its own ranks and civilians such as Patrick Sumner and Victor Jones.”
In this light, the PNCR is “the voice of those who believed that the GDF must conduct its activities in a professional manner and in accordance with national and international law,” the release said.
Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best must recognize, the release noted, that the GDF has only investigated allegations of torture of its own ranks but there is the outstanding matter of the allegations of torture made by Patrick Sumner and Victor Jones, which cannot be ignored.
According to the PNCR, “the apparent refusal by the Chief of Staff and the GDF hierarchy to take firm action to investigate these allegations would continue to tarnish the image of the GDF.”
It will also raise questions in the eyes of the Guyanese people “as to whether the leadership of the GDF has joined the growing ranks of the Government that continue to display contempt for the rule of law in Guyana.”
The PNCR said further that it must put the Chief of Staff and the rest of the GDF leadership on notice that “their attempts to obfuscate matters by determining their own peculiar definition of what constitutes torture will not protect them from having to answer to the international community.”
And in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Torture they would have to answer for the unacceptable conduct of acts of torture which “violated the human rights of Guyanese citizens Patrick Sumner, Victor Jones, Alvin Wilson, Michael Dunn and Sharth Robertson.”
Meanwhile, the party maintained that it has a consistent record of support for the men and women of the GDF and that support has not wavered over the years.
