Trinidadian pathologist Professor Hubert Daisley is the person who has been identified to witness today’s post-mortem examinations (PMEs) of the three Linden protestors who were shot dead by police a week ago, AFC member Nigel Hughes said yesterday.
Stabroek News was told that he was scheduled to arrive in Guyana last night. Up to press time it could not be confirmed if he had arrived.
Hughes during an interview with this newspaper moments after the party’s weekly press briefing said that Daisley is not coming to conduct the PMEs as some persons are claiming but is only to observe to satisfy all parties concerned.
“There is no question of accreditation because he is not performing the post-mortem. He is just observing. I noticed in the paper today that reference was made to GRA (Guyana Revenue Authority). He hasn’t come to work”, Hughes, who is also an attorney at law stated.
He noted that the Trinidadian pathologist has been retained as a professional to observe the post-mortem examinations. “The post-mortem could only be performed by the government pathologist and we are not seeking to have him removed. I have confidence in him but for the purpose of the concerns of the relatives of the deceased and the recovery of pertinent evidence, like fragments and war heads, we have retained an eminent pathologist for the purpose of observing. That is all he is doing, observing the post-mortem. He is not performing it”, Hughes noted.
He also stated that since there is a “real possibility” that there will be an international commission of inquiry into the shooting, “we (AFC) would like to ensure that Guyana follows best international practices”.
AFC MP Khemraj Ramjattan stressed that trust has to be created and the presence of Dr. Daisley has to be seen as a plus.
Ramjattan said that comments made to this newspaper on the post-mortem examinations and the request for an international pathologist by police public relations officer, Ivelaw Whittaker are most unfortunate.
Whittaker had told this newspaper that the PMEs will be conducted today. When asked about the request for a pathologist he said “why are you asking me this? It was Mr Hughes who is requesting that. We are going ahead with our post-mortem on Wednesday”.
Ramjattan told Stabroek News “it will go towards creating more trust in the process of the PMEs with an independent, qualified person having witnessing and observing what is being done there and I think Mr Whittaker’s statement this morning was most unfortunate. I think that he is one of the cops who are very pressured because of the Linden situation”.
He noted that police officials have magnanimity and large-heartedness to accommodate the suspicions of families, communities and the opposition forces that “there might be things that could go wrong”.
“We have to start creating some trust here and if we had gotten the person (pathologist) in why not use him. It is only going to the positive of the whole process”, he noted.
It was Hughes during a visit to the mining town over the weekend who made a request to the officer in charge, Assistant Commissioner Gavin Primo to have the PMEs postponed until today to facilitate the arrival of an international pathologist who had expressed his willingness to help.
Hughes had told this newspaper on that occasion that the senior police officer, who was posted to the position of Commander of Linden following the shooting, said he “will get back to me”.
No police or government official has come forward to publicly say if the presence of this pathologist would be allowed or facilitated.
This would be Professor Daisley’s second visit to Guyana to partake in a major investigation. In May 2010 on the request of the relatives of Bridgette Gangadin, he conducted a second PME on the woman whose remains were found outside the Vigilance Police Station and found that she had been strangled.
Last Wednesday Lindeners came out in their numbers to protest over an increase in power tariffs which took effect July 1.
Later that day around 6:30 pm three people, Selwyn Bouyea, Ron Somerset, and Allan Lewis, were shot and killed and at least 20 others were injured after riot police opened fire on them. Police have since said that they had to resort to using tear gas and later fired shotgun cartridges, after missiles were hurled at them by protestors —an account challenged by some of the injured and others present at the protest.
The shooting occurred near the Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge, which had been blocked as part of the protest since that morning.
Angered by the shooting protestors set fire to the main Linmine Secretariat building which was completely gutted.
Residents have since blocked the main arteries with logs, old vehicles and other items while members of the joint services remain in the area monitoring the situation.
