Assassination of Anti-Gov’t protestor…The ultimate violation of human rights – demonstrators

Mar 13, 2015 News

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Scores of demonstrators from various political and human rights groups, as well as civil society, became one yesterday as they gathered in front of the Ministry of Legal Affairs to stand in solidarity with murdered political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing.
Brandishing placards and chanting in memory of the fallen activist, those gathered condemned his killing, calling it “the ultimate violation of human rights”. The lively crowd insisted that “Bullets cannot silence us!” and “We are Courtney!” much to the approval of persons in passing vehicles, who tooted their horns in support.
The protestors said that they will ensure that their voices are heard and nothing will deter them.
Crum-Ewing was gunned down last Tuesday night at Third Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) while reportedly urging residents, by way of a bullhorn, to vote against the ruling party in the upcoming General and Regional Elections on May 11.
Crum-Ewing first started protesting and attracted media attention last year after an explosive phone conversation between a senior Kaieteur News reporter and Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, surfaced.
The phone call, in which Nandlall warned the reporter to get out of Kaieteur News because of a possible attack, prompted Crum-Ewing to start several days of protests in front of the AG’s Carmichael Street office.
Crum–Ewing had said that his protests were because Nandlall’s actions as the chief legal officer were shameful.
At the forefront of the protest line yesterday was Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall, who expressed outrage at the activist’s assassination.
“It is heart wrenching! Courtney single-handedly stood up for a democratic and just society. He was a man who protested for fair play, spoke against immorality and indecency. Although I only met him a few months ago, I could have felt he was genuine, a man who wanted to see Guyana become a better place,” Lall said.
The businessman further remarked “The placards today (yesterday) speak a lot from my heart. Bullets cannot deter or stop us. Guyana has to continue Courtney’s struggle. He will forever live, not only in the hearts of those at Kaieteur News, but in the hearts of all Guyanese.”
City Mayor Hamilton Green, also on the protest line, roundly condemned the murder. He said it was imperative to remember the reason that Crum-Ewing had started to protest, and that the onus was now on the police to take those factors into account.
Also present was Mike McCormack, Head of the Guyana Human Rights Association, who described Crum-Ewing’s murder as outrageous.
“The man was expressing himself freely and if freedom of expression is coming at this price, then everybody needs to be concerned about it. Courtney Crum-Ewing was threatening no one. But the message seems to have been threatening enough to assassinate him. We all need to let it be known that this is intolerable and we will not allow this country to be pulled in this direction during the election process.”
As the chants resounded, social activist Mark Benschop called on international bodies to take action. He criticised them for “treating the Guyana Government with very soft gloves” over the years.
“This Government has been associated with death squads… phantom squads, and hopefully, just like the United States revoked the visas of officials in Venezuela, the US, Canada and Britain can send a message to the Government of Guyana,” the Presidential hopeful told this publication.
Though he said “Guyanese will not be silent,” the politician remained positive that citizens will not take to the streets with any kind of violence.
Also on the protest line, Social Activist and Kaieteur News Columnist, Frederick Kissoon said that he believes that Crum-Ewing’s death was intended to “send a message to the Guyanese people”.
“I think the PPP feels that never before in their history have they been so vulnerable to losing power and the frightening thing about the loss of power is it will result in the loss of their freedom, because of the atrocities and the illegalities committed over the years.”
Kissoon said that the demonstrations were important “to stop the flow, because they are going to attack other people. They’ve reached a point where they don’t care.”
Working People’s Alliance representative, Tacuma Ogunseye also condemned the assassination, stating that under the current regime, the country has slid further into acts such as this on an unprecedented scale.
He expressed hope that in the coming days, “ways and means” could be found to ensure that the orchestrators of Crum-Ewing’s murder do not get away with it. He also lashed out at the international community, questioning their silence on the state of affairs.
“The international community, sadly, has its own standards. One death, in a third world country, means little to the international community. That is the sad reality of international politics. Foreign embassies here and various representatives of the international community should take note and use their influences with their home offices to bring pressure to bear on this regime. So, Guyanese need to make a profound response that captures the attention of the international community.”
Head of Society against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), Joel Simpson called Crum-Ewing’s slaying “the ultimate violation of human rights”. This was a consensus view of those present.
Simpson declared that this was not just a political issue, but was also a human rights issue. According to him, the right to assemble and air any opinion, even political, should be respected in any democracy and such an act must never happen again.
“There has to be an international investigative body involved to investigate this murder. Nobody has confidence that the Guyana Police Force will be able to investigate this fairly,” he opined.
And also joining in to condemn the act, Leader of Red Thread, Karen DeSouza said “I would like to see more people standing on the streets. To see people standing up against violence, whether it is in the form of violence against women, or violence in the form that killed Courtney.”

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