The Guyana Press Association (GPA) yesterday condemned threats and attempted physical attacks on media workers in recent weeks during elections coverage.
The statement was issued in wake of the most recent incidents, which occurred around the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) tabulation centre and the GECOM Secretariat.
“We hold the leaders of the major political parties, Police Commissioner and members of the Guyana Elections Commission responsible for any harm brought to media professionals as they conduct their duties,” the GPA said.
“The political leaders through speech and silence continue to bait and incite supporters to act against opposing groups and the media,” it added.
According to the statement, during several opposition protest actions in the preceding week, media workers were followed, taunted and insulted while doing their jobs as some political leaders even attempted to direct journalists how to write their stories.
In the past week, the statement added, media workers were verbally assaulted outside the tabulation centre at high and Hadfield Streets.
“This assault rose to an alarming level on Friday afternoon into the night when party supporters gathered outside of the GECOM Secretariat and prevented the press from accessing interviews and GECOM in full view and presence of Police Officers and party representatives,” it explained.
“Media workers were verbally abused based on the media outlet they represented and their ethnicity, as members of the crowd attempted to even check packages that included their equipment and food in their possession and prevented them from accessing their colleagues to obtain their dinner or to rotate,” the statement added.
It was also noted that as the declaration for the polling results for District Four was to be made, there was an outright blockade of the media by the crowd in full view of police and party representatives of the APNU+AFC coalition and one media worker reported that she was nearly physically assaulted.
“From the start of results tabulation, GECOM and the Guyana Police Force have played dodge ball with the safety and security of media workers and requests for a secured spot outside of the tabulation centre have been met with refusal based on which agency has responsibility for security on the ground,” the GPA said.
As a result, it argued that media workers were prevented from conducting interviews of persons leaving the centre about the situation which arose on Friday night. “Based on what we have seen, the safety of media workers continues to be treated with a lack of interest by all those concerned with elections,” it lamented.
