GEORGETOWN – The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is calling on Western diplomats based here to do more to demand public accountability by the police force and other institutions as a retired Canadian investigator will on Wednesday begin his investigation into the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge, whose body was found floating in a pool last month.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, is also questioning the motives behind asking for a fourth autopsy to be conducted on the body of the child.
“From what I’ve been advised by persons far more qualified than I am… the body, in its current state, would have been deprived of any forensic value given the time elapsed and previous procedures conducted,” he told viewers to his weekly live Facebook programme, adding that the death of the child is being used to “score political mileage”.
In a statement, the GHRA noted that the American, British, Canadian and European Union diplomatic missions have reaffirmed their commitment to democracy and peace, but said that their calls fell short of addressing the core issue of public trust in national institutions such as the law enforcement agency, state-owned media and government spokespersons.
“In response to this reality, the GHRA urges diplomatic partners to give equal priority to ensuring the technical recommendations of any international investigative support are made directly available to the Guyanese public,” the GHRA said.
The human rights body said that since the public cannot be expected to accept conclusions delivered solely by an institution that has so far relied on evasion, misinformation, and selective enforcement, the information should be shared with Parliament, civil society, the diplomatic community, the media and the affected family.
It is recommending that the results of such an intervention be communicated to the family fully and directly by the experts involved and that such an approach ensures both the necessary technical expertise and the political will to truth, justice, and public trust are upheld.
Younge’s body was found floating in the swimming pool at the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo on April 24 and the GHRA said the government’s stated strategy of limiting its response to “known facts” offers little reassurance.
The GHRA also said that approach “has proven circular” because the missing facts are within the purview of the police and government “that claim to be restrained by them.
“From evasive conduct surrounding events at the hotel, misleading interpretations of CCTV footage, curbing public and press access to autopsy results, the government’s handling of the case has been marked by obstruction, rather than transparency”.
The GHRA said unrest was not only driven by Younge’s tragic death but by the lack of trust in the police and the government which have been replaced by social media “narratives with fluctuating levels of credibility.”
The GHRA said the situation was also being fuelled by deepening disbelief in statements and actions issued by the police and government officials and called for the current case not to repeat the failures of the 2020 initiative to resolve the West Coast Berbice murders of the Henry boys and young Haresh Singh. (CMC)
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