AG defends terrorism charges against perpetrators of recent unrest

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall has defended the charges of terrorism instituted against dozens of individuals who are alleged to have participated in the recent countrywide unrest.

Responding to certain sections of society that were critical of the charges brought against those individuals, Nandlall reasoned “if you stand on the side of the scrapes, if you stand on the side of the thugs and you say that you will embrace the thugs and the scrapes, if you say that is your position, then you must oppose the charge of terrorism.”

On Wednesday, April 30, forty-three individuals from across Guyana were charged and remanded to prison for inciting public terror in connection with widespread attacks, burning and looting which occurred during a coordinated unrest that erupted nationwide on Monday, April 28.

A number of other individuals have also been subsequently slapped with similar charges.

The unrest commenced after a postmortem examination found that 11-year-old Adriana Younge whose body was found in the pool at the now-gutted Double Day Hotel, Tuschen East Bank Essequibo (EBE) died from drowning.

The unrest started with individuals blocking off roads by burning debris and quickly escalated to include attacks on innocent passersby, lootings and arson of businesses and further destruction of public and private property.

According to Nandlall, the charges are in accordance with the Criminal Law (Offences) Act which was amended in 2002.

“It was intended in 2002 to address the very type of issues that we have seen unfolding as a result of this tragedy. In 2002, there was rampant burning and looting of business premises across the country, there was burning of the roadways with tyres and other materials and the beating and robbing of commuters, the murdering of commuters and businessmen…and the government could not have stood idly by,” he explained during his weekly programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday.

The law states that whoever with intent to strike terror in the people or any section of the people, does any act or thing in such a manner as to cause or likely to cause death or injury to any person(s), or loss of or damage to or destruction of property, commits a terrorist act.

The recent unrest saw several Chinese-owned businesses robbed, with at least one building torched. There is also video on social media of a vagrant being beaten by protestors.

Those actions, the Attorney General said, were aimed at driving fear into citizens.

As such, he said the law “was appropriately used in my respectful view to charge those who attempted to reign terror across this land.”

“To those who say this is the wrong charge, there could not have been a better/more appropriate charge,” Nandlall affirmed.

Further, he noted that CARICOM is now looking to put similar legislation in place to stem gang violence in member countries. Referring to a preliminary report on tackling gang violence in the Caribbean, the AG said countries will be presented with the option to now incorporate similar crimes as terrorist acts under terrorism legislation or develop new legislation for terrorist actions in their territories.

Meanwhile, wanted bulletins have been issued for several others whose identities were caught on on camera participating in the countrywide unrest.