Dear Editor,
As a former member of the WPA I was waiting and hoping that someone from that party would have set the record straight with regards to acts of torture that took place when the PNC was in government. I read Eusi Kwayana’s letter and was pleased to know that someone who is older than Freddie, Roopnaraine and others remembers the torturing of Ivan Sookram and others.
In his attempt to make the present government look bad, Freddie Kissoon wrote in one of his columns that the PNC administration never tortured people it placed before the courts for political crimes.
Freddie was a supporter of the WPA and should be well acquainted with the treason trial of Ivan Sookram and others during the early ’80s. About 15 of us from Zeeburg and De Willem on the West Coast, Demerara were tortured so that the police could obtain confession statements by force. I was tortured and witnessed these tortures, having been there and seen this evil act being perpetrated by the police at CID headquarters in Eve Leary. I can recall that numerous police officers carried out this dastardly act during the six days that we were locked up at CID headquarters.
I am certain that acts such as being beaten at regular intervals on all parts of the body especially the bottom of the feet and the tummy, burns with cigarettes, threats of electric shock, sleep deprivation and being forced to sign confession statements all constitute torture. One of the taxi drivers that was locked up with us told me that when he was saying the truth they continued to beat him, but when he was lying they stopped the beating, then the police would write a statement and he signed it. A mechanic by the name of David was tortured so severely that he could not sit down for days because of severe injuries he suffered after being beaten with an axe handle.
Rupert Roopnaraine mentioned in one of his letters that he was not tortured when he was locked up, but I am certain he is knowledgeable about the dozens of WPA activists that suffered torture at the hands of the police in those days. Maybe Freddie and Roopnaraine should not deliberately leave out facts of which they are knowledgeable.
Yours faithfully,
Ralph Saywack
