– Lewis absent
Social activist Mark Benschop and trade unionist Norris Witter yesterday appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer charges of disorderly behaviour and resisting police arrest to which they both pleaded not guilty.
They were also charged with the offence of unlawful assembly to which they were not required to plead.
Benschop and Witter were jointly charged with the offences along with Lincoln Lewis who is also a trade unionist. Lewis was, however, not present in court yesterday.
It is alleged that on July 15 at Georgetown, Benschop, 37, of 183 Roxanne Burnham Gardens; 57-year-old Norris Witter of 35 Cauliflower Street, South Ruimveldt and Lincoln Lewis together with other persons unlawfully assembled together.
It is also alleged that on July 15 at Georgetown, Benschop and Witter resisted Police Inspector Patrick Todd in the execution of his duty.
On the same day, it is also alleged, Benschop and Witter behaved disorderly in a public place.
Prior to making bail applications and legal submissions, Attorney-at-Law Khemraj Ramjattan
who represented the accused explained to the court that Lewis was absent because he was in Barbados attending a seminar at the Caribbean Congress of Labour. Ramjattan added that because Lewis is a public figure, his presence in Barbados was required and police were aware of this.
According to the lawyer, the charges laid against his clients are baseless. Ramjattan argued that on the day in question, his clients were in peaceful and lawful protest; a right afforded them by the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
According to Ramjattan, the police felt that the trio should not have protested at their Young Street location. This led to charges while his clients were taken aback by the decision of the police to remove them from their place of picketing.
Ramjattan then asked that his clients be admitted to their own recognisance. Police Prosecutor Denise Griffith had no objection and this was granted and the trio was then ordered to return to court on September 1.
The trio was on Wednesday last arrested after they protested in front of Police Headquarters (HQ) at Eve Leary.
The trio has been picketing several locations including the Office of the President, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Commissioner of Police in recent days.
The three men were on Thursday last placed on $10,000 station bail each.
