The Guyana Press Association (GPA) said it is keeping a close eye on the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) posture regarding its members’ coverage of the ongoing criminal investigation against Assistant Commissioner of Police Calvin Brutus by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), especially since one journalist has been the recipient of threats of sedition and obstruction of justice charges. In a press release, the GPA referred to a press statement earlier this week by SOCU, an arm of the GPF, which threatened journalist Leroy Smith with sedition and obstruction of justice charges. The statement, issued by Mark Ramotar, Head of the GPF’s Corporate Communications Unit on behalf of the head SOCU, was made after Smith published a report on October 23, on Big Smith News Watch. According to the GPA, that statement disputed Smith’s report and went on to describe the journalist as a “hired gun” inferring that based on Smith’s reporting, legal proceedings would be instituted and criminal investigation started. Smith, in response, lodged an official complaint with the GPA indicating that he stood by his reporting on the issue and expressing concern about the threats levelled against him.
The GPA noted that it has provided training on sensitive issues and on journalism ethics at most of its sessions throughout the years and has also “cautioned, guided and implored” members to uphold the highest standards of journalism. It added that it found it “appalling and even egregious” that SOCU would seek to revive the oft “scorned-upon” law to go after a journalist, “a threat we denounce and one which we will raise with our international press freedom advocates.”
The GPA noted that most developed countries including the United States and the United Kingdom have abolished sedition laws. It added that the European Union in its final report on Guyana’s March 2, 2020 elections observed that despite the fact that the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, Guyana was at odds with international obligations regarding having on its law books, seditious libel and criminal defamation.
The EU purportedly stated that in addition to civil law, defamation is prosecuted also by criminal laws with sentences up to two years of imprisonment.
“While there were no ongoing criminal lawsuits or cases of journalists being detained or convicted, the mere existence of criminal liability for defamation constitutes a threat which may lead to possible self-censorship by media professionals,” the EU report added. As such, the GPA posited that the Government of Guyana and the legal advisors to the police would do well to bring this report to the attention of the GPF and SOCU, even other state agencies that often perceive the media as a threat rather than a partner in development.
The GPA release said that all was not lost and that the GPF still has an opportunity to prove that it was an open and unbiased institution with its members fostering a better relationship with the media. It added that sometimes in its efforts to close cases, the force has reached out to members of the media to provide unsolicited information on cases and alleged criminals, going as far as selecting journalists and media houses to share information that would build a case or its image to the public. Sadly though, in other matters, it has chosen to ignore media requests for information as well as interviews on critical issues.
“The GPA is on the record about these acts including the police silence on some matters of public interest,” the release said It added that this latest threat of sedition and obstruction charges could be seen as part of a wider agenda to silence journalists reporting on public interest issues and should be denounced by all. At the same time, the GPA urged all journalists and media practitioners to uphold the highest ethical standards of the profession. “Pandering to self-serving interests with reporting that is not based on fact and truth undoubtedly result in unethical conduct through skewed and unfair reporting. Ultimately, the public’s interest matters rather than personal preferences and agenda,” the release said.
