A former judge will chair the three-person Commission of Inquiry into Thursday’s fiery revolt at the Georgetown Prison, which claimed 17 lives and it has been given up to March 15th to submit a report with findings and recommendations.
This was announced yesterday at a press conference by Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, who named former Justice James Patterson (Chairman), human rights activist Merle Mendonca and former prisons director Dale Erskine as the commissioners. The commission will begin its work on Monday, he told reporters at the Ministry of Public Security boardroom.
Unrest at the prison continued yesterday and was only quelled after Ramjattan and Minister of State Joseph Harmon met with some of the inmates.
Hours after the 17 men prisoners were killed and another five injured when fire was set in their cell in protest over a range of issues, President David Granger called an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee during which he instructed Ramjattan to set up the three-member CoI.
Granger has since assured the relatives of the deceased and the injured that everything will be done to ensure that there is a full investigation.
According to the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the CoI, which was released yesterday, the Commission has been constituted “to enquire into all the circumstances surrounding the death of seventeen (17) Prisoners from the Camp Street Prison, Georgetown on the morning of Thursday 3rd of March, 2016, to report the findings and conclusions to the Minister of Public Security and to make recommendations on any action that should be taken to avoid a recurrence.”
According to the ToR, the inquiry will investigate, examine and report on the causes, circumstances and conditions that led to the fatal disturbances and any other subsequent disturbances at the Camp Street Prisons, Georgetown.
It will also inquire into the nature of all injuries sustained by the prisoners.
It will further “Determine whether the conduct of the staff of the Guyana Prison Service who were on duty on the morning of the 3rd of March, 2016 and thereafter was in conformity with the Standard Operating Procedures of the Guyana Prisons Service” and “whether the deaths of the 17 prisoners was as a result of the negligence, abandonment of duty, disregard of instructions, inaction of the Prison Officers who were on duty on the night of the 2nd of March, 2016 and the morning of the 3rd of March, 2016.”
The document stated that the Commission is to make comprehensive recommendations to ensure the safety of the prisons.
The commission must examine and make findings and recommendations to “improve the physical infrastructure of the prison; the existing security arrangements in respect of the custody, management and control of prisoners; the appropriate treatment of prisoners in compliance with legal and other requirements and to prevent a recurrence of any such disturbances.”
The Rules of Procedure of the Inquiry state that the CoI must consider the views of all stakeholders, including prisoners, staff and their unions, members of the judiciary and representatives of the ministries of Public Health and Social Protection.
It was stated that the commission shall “render its report, findings and recommendations to the Minister of Public Security by the 15th of March, 2016 or such other date as the Minister of Public Security shall determine.” It was later explained to reporters that if additional time is requested, a decision will be made at that point.
The inquiry, it was stated, shall be conducted continually at the Conference Room of the Department of Public Service, located at 164 Waterloo Street, South Cummingsburg and in such other places as the Chairman may determine.
The inquiry will also be public but the Commissioners have the discretion to exclude persons. The ToR stated that the responsibility is the Chairman’s to ensure that the Commission completes its work and submits its report within the stipulated time.
During the press conference, Ramjattan also released the names of those who died and were injured during Thursday’s unrest, while noting that the relatives or next of kin had been notified. Some families, however, disputed this claim yesterday.
Those who died are Sherwin Trotman, Kirk Clarke, Latchman Partap, Aaron Eastman, Randolph Marques, Rohan Teekaram, Hillary Amos, Rayon Paddy, Anthony Primo, Delroy Williams, Clifton Joseph, Jermain Otto, Shaka McKenzie, Andrew Philander, Chetram Dwarandat, Asraf Mohamed and Richard Hubbard. Of the deceased, twelve were charged with murder, and one each for rape/murder, armed robbery, unlawful possession of ammunition, armed robbery/murder and robbery with violence, according to the information that was released by Ramjattan.
Of the prisoners, one was first charged in 2008; two in 2011; five; in 2014 and the remaining nine in 2015.
Ramjattan identified those hospitalised at the Georgetown Hospital as a result of the unrest on Thursday as Marcellous Verbeke, Andel Forde and Ignatius Franz.
Those treated and discharged are Anthony Joseph, Dwayne Lewis and Errol Williams.
