Dear Editor,

As a mother I was shocked and saddened when I saw the photograph that was published in Kaieteur News of this 14 year old child tortured by the Police at Leonora Police Station.

I can imagine the ordeal that his poor parents were going through. It makes matters worse not knowing where your child is. The ranks had them going from one police station to the next without disclosing his whereabouts.

In such a serious condition the child needed medical attention to the severe burns to his genitals and other injuries he sustained from the police.

We must not sit idly by and allow those responsible for this cruel act to be ignored, like the many others that experienced the same ordeal. The perpetrators must be identified and held accountable for their actions. What would it take for others to speak out on matters like this? The PNCR did, by exposing bodily harm to human beings by the Police department without any justice.

The Hon. Ms Priya Manickchand, Minister of Human Services, has claimed that her Ministry has a programme to protect children. Where was the Minister’s protection for this child? Or does this child have no rights.

I recall several press statements and picketing exercises conducted by the PNC calling on the Government for an inquiry on several persons who were tortured and went through similar ordeals.  Just to mention a few, Victor Jones, Patrick Sumner, Alvin Wilson and Michael Dunn and others.

The Government later then decided to have the inquiry done; the inquiry was conducted by the same department which was responsible for the torture. To make matters worse the President told the nation that the investigation into the torture was completed and he would present the report to the Nation but this was never done.

I read several articles calling Burnham a dictator. I have lived to see this PPP/C Government who claimed that they will do better if they were elected to office do worse. That has been a reality since 1992 and it has been hell for the Guyanese people since.

The 17 years of the PPP/C in office, Mr Jagdeo held 10 years as President and that ten years will go down in the records for what the world has seen Guyana to be today. Guyana is now viewed as a country of corruption, deception, racism, decimation and above all drug smugglers.

This is unacceptable and the Government should be held accountable. This is why the Government has refused any assistance on the crime spree in Guyana and now everyone knows why the UK withdrew from Guyana. This matter of torture should be reported to the UN Human Rights Council.

Editor, I wonder what excuses the Government, the Minister of Human Services, Henry Greene and Minister Rohee have for this 14-year-old child’s torture?

Yours faithfully,
B. Beniprashad Rayman