The UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) (CCPR) has called on Guyana to take measures to safeguard the independence of the judiciary and to address the backlog of cases in the system.
In its concluding observations, which the Guyana Government said did not incorporate its reservations, the HRC said it is concerned about the role of the executive and the legislature in the appointment of members of the judiciary, particularly the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice who are preferred directly by the President after obtaining the agreement of the leader of the opposition according to Article 127 of the Constitution, and the appointment of judges by the President after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The Committee, sitting in Geneva, Switzerland, said it is also concerned that the JSC is appointed by the President after consultation with the leader of the opposition. The Committee is further concerned about the practice of appointing “acting judges”, which does not guarantee the independence of the judiciary or its competence.