Leader of the Opposition David Granger and a team from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday met Western diplomats to brief them on Wednesday’s killings in Linden and reiterated the call for an independent inquiry.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of Ivan Lewis of Wismar Housing Scheme, Ron Somerset of Amelia’s Ward and Shemroy Bouyea of Wisroc Housing Scheme. Over 20 others were wounded.
The diplomats – US Ambassador D Brent Hardt, EU Ambassador Robert Kopecky, Canadian High Commissioner David Devine and British High Commissioner (acting) Michael Kearney – were told that APNU condemned the killing of the three men and the wounding of more than two dozen other unarmed, peaceful protesters in Linden on Wednesday.
APNU representatives – who included Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, Deborah Backer, Winston Felix and Joseph Harmon – told the diplomats that both pellets and live ammunition had been used indiscriminately on the victims of the police shooting.
The APNU team expressed its concern at what it called “the obvious lack of preparation, or lack of intention” by the police to use minimum force by employing batons, shields and the water cannon. “The Linden protest was a peaceful, lawful and civil assembly and the police response was aggressive, calculated and provocative,” the statement said.
“A Partnership for National Unity initiated the call for an independent, judicial inquiry into the killings and called for face-to-face dialogue between the central government and the regional administration. APNU welcomed offers by the diplomats to explore possibilities for assistance from international organisations and foreign countries to support an independent inquiry into the killings,” the statement said.
