The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has condemned the killing of three persons during what it described as “the repression by security forces of a protest” in Linden.
The IACHR in a press release on Friday from Washington, D.C. called on the “State of Guyana to use force in strict conformity with its international obligations and the applicable international principles.”
The Inter-American Commission said that, according to the information received, police officers fired live rounds at protesters in Linden, killing three men and injuring about 20 others, and authorities have announced that President Donald Ramotar is committed to forming an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the events.
In the meantime, the IACHR is reminding the state of “its obligation to conduct a judicial inquiry into the deaths of these persons and the acts of violence, sanction those responsible and repair the consequences.”
Furthermore, the Commission noted that “it is necessary to adopt mechanisms to prevent excessive use of force on the part of public agents in marches and protest demonstrations.”
In this regard, the IACHR said it is calling on the state to “urgently adopt all necessary measures for the due protection of the protesters within the framework of respect of Inter-American human rights standards.”
On July 18, during protests over a hike in the electricity tariffs in Linden, three men, Ron Somerset, Allan Wilson and Shemroy Bouyea were fatally shot, after police opened fire on protestors near the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge. The police’s use of force in Linden—which recalled another incident in the capital last year in which protestors were shot with rubber bullets—has since drawn intense criticism, with calls for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, who has ministerial responsibility for the force.
The IACHR pointed out that “the rights to association, assembly, and freedom of expression are fundamental rights broadly guaranteed by the American Convention on Human Rights.”
Given the importance of these rights for the consolidation of democratic societies, the Commission said it has maintained that any restriction of these rights should be justified by an imperative social interest.
In this sense, the Commission observed “that the states may impose reasonable limitations on protests with the objective of ensuring that they are peacefully carried out, as well as to disperse those protests that turn violent, so long as such limits are governed by the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality.”
The Commission further contended that “as the actions of state agents must not discourage the rights to assembly, association and free expression, dispersion of a protest may only be justified under the duty to protect people.”
According to the IACHR, “security operations that are implemented in these contexts should contemplate those measures which are the safest and the least restrictive of the fundamental rights involved. The use of force in public demonstrations should be exceptional and strictly necessary in accordance with internationally recognised principles.”
The IACHR, a principal, autonomous body of the Organisation of American States (OAS), derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. It has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members, who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence, the release concluded.
