The Bar Council of the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) has condemned attacks on attorneys appearing in legal proceedings related to the March 2nd, 2020 polls.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Bar Council mentioned specific attacks levelled at a former Solicitor General, Kim Kyte-Thomas, against whom it says the vilest personal attacks appears to have been reserved over the past two days. Kyte-Thomas is legal counsel for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson, retired judge Claudette Singh.
The Bar Council noted that as recent as last week it was “compelled to speak in light of escalated statements aimed at the judiciary, inter alia, in an appalling effort to alter the course of justice.”
According to the statement, “it would appear that persons not being so successful have now resorted to a lower level of depravity. The embarrassingly protracted election process has resulted in a heightened political atmosphere which has seen a pattern in personal attacks being levied against persons in the exercise of their profession and duties. Such attacks are wholly unacceptable, inappropriate and must be denounced.”
The Bar Council reminded that attorneys are, by statute, officers of the court and appear for their clients in discharge of their professional duty, under oath, without fear or favour.
On this point, it cautioned the public against making inflammatory, threatening and libelous statements which in addition to undermining the administration of justice and rule of law could found the basis for the institution of legal proceedings and charges against such perpetrators. It reminded that libelous statements can result in charges being instituted against perpetrators.
