The report of the Commission of Inquiry into the killing of three demonstrators during power tariff protests in Linden on July 18, 2012 is to be handed into President Donald Ramotar tomorrow.
A release today from GINA said that the President will receive the report at the Office of the President at 10 am.
Ron Somerset, 18; Shemroy Bouyea and Allan Lewis, 46, were those killed during the protest.
The inquiry was headed by former Jamaican Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe and heard testimony from Linden residents, senior police officers and Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee.
The killing of the protesters – allegedly by the police – led to a blockade of the mining town that lasted for weeks and cut off access to the hinterland and mining areas. The blockade ended following an agreement between the government and Region 10.
The inquiry looked at which unit was deployed at the shooting scene at the bridge and what was its composition and at its training, individually and collectively, in preparation for the crowd control operation. It was to also determine whether the fatal shootings were committed by the police deployed on the bridge and, if so, who gave the order to fire and whether the police had justification for the use of lethal force at the scene.
The instructions given to the detachment as well any instructions that may have been given by the Home Affairs Minister to the police force to maintain law and order in Linden immediately before, during and immediately after the events on July 18, formed part of the terms of the inquiry as well.
Apart from the shooting, the commission’s mandate included inquiring into the nature of the violence and destruction and its perpetrators that immediately followed the July 18 shooting. Further, it is to make recommendations to assist the Guyana Police Force in “effectively and professionally discharging their responsibilities for the maintenance of law and order” in Linden and other communities without endangering their own safety and that of innocent persons. It is to also include recommendations for compensation where necessary for injury, loss or damage as a consequence of the events of July 18.
