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Sanitised verasion of torture report still to be released

Nov 25, 2008 News

President Bharrat Jagdeo announced to the public, following repeated calls by several sections of society for the release of the ‘Torture Report,’ that he would release a sanitised version of that torture report.

He said that he would remove the names of the Guyana Defence Force ranks that were identified in the report before the release. More than three weeks later, President Jagdeo’s promise is still to be fulfilled.

The People’s National Congress Reform, saying that it did not buy President Jagdeo’s rationale for removing the names of the army ranks, vowed to release those names to the public.

The party has, however, promised to restrain from publishing the names until the report is made public.
To release the report now without the names of persons who were culpable will see the entire Guyana Defence Force being blamed for the allegations of torture, Leader of the Alliance For Change, Raphael Trotman, said.

He was responding to the statement by Head of State, Bharrat Jagdeo, who said that he would release a ‘sterilised’ report, meaning that it would be without the names.

The AFC leader called upon persons who have made the allegation of torture and could name their alleged torturers to come forward and identify the men publicly.

Trotman noted that, in the interest of transparency, the report should be published with the names of implicated officers, given that to hide the names would make the report lose any credibility.

The AFC leader’s sentiment was also echoed by the leader of the main opposition party, the PNCR, Robert Corbin, who had told this newspaper that the release of the report minus the names illustrates an obvious attempt to doctor the report.

Corbin also referred to the conflicting statements emanating from Jagdeo and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon.

Prior to President Jagdeo’s statement, Dr Luncheon had said that the release of the report was very unlikely. Then President Jagdeo said that the report will be released.

He noted that this situation was similar to that of the case of Roger Khan, who was held with a bulletproof vehicle and the laptop capable of triangulating cellular calls. He said that the Government is yet to make a clear pronouncement on the issue.

As it relates to his party’s charge that it would take the matter to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, Organisation of American States and International Human Rights Organisations, among others, Corbin said that the party will file the charges.

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