Caricom has signalled its interest in assisting in the Commission of Inquiry into the shooting at Linden which resulted in the deaths of three protestors and injuries to at least 20 more and could have a representative on the commission if an agreement is reached between government and the opposition.
APNU member Joseph Harmon, who has been meeting with a government representative to go through the Terms of Reference for an independent commission which is due by August 2, told Stabroek News yesterday that Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque contacted government saying that the Secretariat was willing to assist.
Harmon stated that the agencies that could have a presence on the commission are Caricom, UNASUR, Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN). “It could be one of them or a combination of any of them on the commission. This matter is now under discussion between government and the opposition,” he said when asked who the likely choice would be.
Shortly after the incident it was the Alliance for Change (AFC) that called for an international presence on the commission. Contacted last evening, AFC chairman Khemraj Ramjattan told this newspaper that the preferred choice would be the United Nations’ experts in charge of human rights and who deal with issues such as police brutality.
A security source noted that there are many experts around the world who have been involved in matters of this kind and as such could be contracted through Caricom, Commonwealth or the UN.
The source noted that the person or persons who would ultimately be chosen must have at least a legal background. The source explained that retired judges could also be targeted, but noted that there might be persons who have the skills but are not judges.
It was noted too that human rights experience would be a good asset and according to the source most persons with this experience are lawyers.
According to the source, with good research the appropriate person/s from the international community can be identified and contracted to help investigate the Linden shooting.
Lindeners had come out in their numbers for the start of a five-day protest over an increase in power tariffs, which took effect July 1. By the end of the first day, Ron Somerset, Allan Lewis and Selwyn Bouyea were dead and at least 20 others were injured after police opened fire on protestors near the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge. Police have said that they had to resort to using tear gas and later fired shotgun cartridges at protestors, after missiles were hurled at them—an account challenged by some of the injured and others present at the protest. A post-mortem examination on the bodies of the three men last Wednesday determined that they were killed by live rounds and it was suggested that these were fired from handguns.
Based on the accounts of persons at the scene of the shooting, up to about midday on the day, Divisional Commander Clifton Hickens met protestors at the bridge, ensuring that there was order.
Accounts stated that Hickens, who is based in Georgetown, left the bridge around midday and it was unclear whether he stayed in Linden or returned to Georgetown.
Protestors recounted to this newspaper that sometime before 6 pm, word spread that “black clothes policemen” were heading to the bridge way. As the ranks, who were reportedly not Linden-based, approached the bridge, the protestors walked towards them. Moments later, protestors said that tear gas canisters were hurled at them and subsequently gunshots rang out.
It was following the shooting that angry residents began setting fires, in the process destroying and damaging buildings and vehicles.
Acting Police Commis-sioner Leroy Brumell, while opting not to answer questions posed by this newspaper, has since said that a full-scale investigation is ongoing to determine who is culpable.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud later appealed for witnesses to come forward as there are too many gaps in the police investigation.
He said too that a police audit has revealed that only four shotgun cartridges were unaccounted for from the ranks who were at the scene at the time of last Wednesday’s fatal shooting at Linden, in which three persons were killed after police opened fire on protestors. Persaud noted that this is an indication that the unaccounted for cartridges were used during the protest.
The bullets taken from the bodies of the dead and injured are still being analyzed and this would determine where they came from, he had said. Attorney-at-law and AFC member Nigel Hughes who is representing the relatives of the dead and injured has since written to the Brummell requesting that a UK based firearm expert be allowed to witness the ballistic test and also conduct his own independent tests. Last week President Donald Ramotar during a hastily called press conference recalled his administration’s commitment to a full investigation “once some order was restored” and said that the position remains the same and he will be appointing a Commission of Inquiry to examine the events in Linden including the three deaths. “In the discussions with the opposition parties, the government and the APNU agreed to draft the terms of reference for this Commission and two leaders from the two sides were designated to work on the draft terms of reference,” he said. “The meeting also agreed to conclude the terms of reference not later than August 2, 2012 with the objective of establishing the Commission of Inquiry very soon after,” Ramotar said, adding that he is pleased that all stakeholders endorsed the approach.
The timeframe for the setting up of the Commission of Enquiry has been questioned and criticized as too long and when contacted APNU leader, David Granger said that the August 2 date is an outside deadline. “I’m surprised that that date was mentioned because it was said then that work be started immediately,” he said. The three political parties will work together as quickly as possible to get the draft terms of reference, he said. In terms of the commission having an international input Granger said that APNU has no objection to an international component but would first like to see the terms of reference.
Ramotar was non-committal on an international component for the commission. He said that in his discussions with the political parties, “we have not closed any doors to anyone participating in it but we thought that the most important thing at this point in time is to have the agreed terms of reference so we have not rejected any proposal at this point in time.” In terms of a timeline for the inquiry, he said that this had not been discussed yet, but all recognize the urgency and no one wants to slow down the process.
