The AFC says that the possibility of protracted arguments over the eligibility of persons to sit on the Commission of Enquiry into the shooting of Linden protestors is real and significant and this is why the party is advocating for a full international Commission.
“Guyana is a small community and the chances of finding Commissioners who will not be the subject of suspicions from one side or the other before the Commission is constituted are slim,” the party said in a press statement yesterday setting out its position on the matter. The Alliance For Change has said that an International enquiry is a precondition of any investigation or enquiry into the events of July 18 during which three Linden protesters were shot.
“The degrees of separation in Guyana are too close. This places the acceptance of the results of any such commission in jeopardy long before the inquiry even begins. A Commission consisting only of international commissioners under the auspices of a credible international body mitigates the arguments about local bias and interest in the outcome of the investigation,” the party said. “Surely the purpose of whatever steps we as Guyanese take on this matter must be driven by our desire for justice for the victims,” the AFC added.
The party earlier said that there are two aspects to any inquiry/investigation into the events of July 18th 2012. “First and foremost, a credible, uncompromised, independent forensic investigation of the homicides,” it said.
According to the AFC, it is a fact that the further away from an incident one goes the more likely the chances are that the available evidence will be compromised. “There is no suggestion that anybody other than the Guyana Police Force had fired weapons on Wednesday last so there can be no dispute about who fired. The ballistic evidence which would be available on the spent shell, warheads and other fragments recovered from the bodies of the dead and wounded would indicate who fired the weapons which resulted in the death or injury to the victim,” the party said.
It said that the police records should indicate the identity of police officers who were in possession of the weapons which fired bullets which killed and wounded the victims. This would isolate the principal suspects, the AFC said. Further, it added that the preservation of critical evidence recovered from the bodies of wounded prior to death and its isolation from possible contamination is of critical importance. “We have no doubt that the weapons used on Wednesday would have had to have been lodged after the day’s escape and hands should have been swabbed to confirm who fired weapons on the day.
If the ballistic evidence has been handed over to the police in Linden under the Command of the one of the principal suspects, then the integrity of the evidence was in serious jeopardy,” the party charged.
“In other words the prime suspects would have been handed the evidence which incriminated them in the crime, to keep and preserve for a trial which could result in their conviction. In local terms we asking the cat to watch the milk and expect it to be there when we are ready for it,” the AFC said.
The party also pointed out that it is accepted scientific fact that the closer the recording of the statements of eye witnesses to an event the more likely the accuracy of their recollections. “Attempting to take statements from eyewitnesses after they have discussed the incident with other persons who were present, is more likely to influence the accuracy of their recollection,” it said.
The AFC said that four years after international assistance was offered and refused in the Lindo creek massacre, it learnt last week of the police handing over the remains to the families of the deceased without any conclusion to the investigation. “It is interesting that the same officer who headed the police party in the Lindo creek incident was in command of the policemen last Wednesday,” the statement said.
“If the services of international forensic experts were immediately engaged then the chances of a credible investigation would have been increased. Waiting until the victims have been buried or worse after the 2nd August 2012 to conduct any form of international forensic investigations is of marginal value. It is also an insult to the cries for justice by the families of the victims of the shooting,” the party declared.
