Linden Commission of Inquiry… Rohee “did not warn Police against using deadly force”

Nov 01, 2012 News

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–    still doesn’t know who opened fire

By Latoya Giles

Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee yesterday said that he did not specifically warn the Police to refrain from using deadly force against protestors in Linden.
Called to testify before the Linden Commission of Inquiry looking into the death of three Lindeners on July 18, last, Rohee claimed that he only gave general instructions to the Police to maintain law and order.
The Minister said his very general instructions were given, despite the fact the government was concerned and anxious about what could happen as a result of a planned five-day protest. In fact, Rohee acknowledged reports that persons were encouraging a shutdown of the mining town.
However, Rohee said that he did not have “visions” of the town shutting down.
“I am not a visionary,” Rohee responded when questioned.
He vehemently denied that he was responsible for the Linden shooting, saying he has been made out to be the “villain” by persons who have a political agenda against him.

Attorney Basil Williams reminded Rohee that in the post-election protests, during which Police fired into the backs of protestors associated with opposition coalition APNU, he, Rohee, had suggested that such action should not happen again, and that it was unlawful to use deadly force.
However, Rohee said that in discussions with the hierarchy of the Police, ahead of the Linden protests, he did not give any specific instructions that what happened with the APNU supporters would not be repeated.
Further, the Minister said that he did not consider it a dereliction of his duty not to have given any specific instructions to the Police to refrain from using deadly force.
In responding to questions from attorney Nigel Hughes, Rohee said that in his meeting with the Police hierarchy, a day before the deadly Linden protests, there was no discussion about deadly force.
Rohee said that the Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell and other senior Police officers briefed him about likely scenarios that could result as a result of the planned five-day protest, but that there was no discussion about what action the Police were to take should those scenarios materialize.
The Minister said that there was no discussion about the use of use of the water cannon, rubber bullets, or riot shields.
Rohee at first said that he did not recall that he made specific enquiries about the possibility of a serious confrontation between Police and protestors. But then he was shown a video of an interview he gave the day after the deadly protests in which he said that he asked the senior members of the Police Force about “possibilities for any serious confrontation” and they gave assurances that live rounds were not going to be used in deterring the protestors.
Pressed further, Rohee said that one of the scenarios discussed was that the bridge could have been blocked. However, he said that the issue of how the Police would act to clear the bridge was not talked about.
The Minister said that he had several conversations with Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken on July 18, since he was not getting on to the Commissioner of Police.
However, Rohee said that it was only at 21:00h, when he received a phone call from a member of the community policing group, that he was told people were injured.
He said that he never asked the Commissioner of Police about who authorized the use of deadly force.
Minister Rohee said he was presented with an interim report a few days after July 18, but he said he has not looked at the report since then and could not remember if it states who gave the authorization for the Police to open fire.
Rohee said that he did not conclude that the protests at Linden were the biggest security situation in the country, and he did not believe that he should have an input in big operational matters.
The Minister said that he met with the Commissioner of Police Leroy Brumell, Deputy Commissioner Seelall Persaud and then Commander of E&F Division (within which Linden falls) Clifton Hicken, on July 17.
He said that he was briefed by the Commissioner who told him about the developments in Linden and that he had taken a decision to dispatch a TSU unit to the mining town.
Attorney for the Commission, Ganesh Hira, questioned Rohee about whether he gave any directions to the officers. Rohee said he told Brumell to ensure that peace and order was maintained.
He was then asked if he was communicating with the Top Cop on July 18, and Rohee answered in the affirmative, adding that it was via telephone. According to the Minister, he had called the commissioner, since he was in receipt of information that the situation at Linden had changed and people had been killed.
The Minister recalled that the call was made some time between 20:00hrs and 21:00hrs on July 18.
He was asked if the Commissioner informed him that persons were shot, and according to Rohee, the commissioner was not in the position to make that pronouncement.
The Minister was asked if he had briefed anyone about the incident at Linden. Rohee said that he later met with the President Donald Ramotar, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, along with some members of the Cabinet. He was asked if the information he presented to these were sufficient enough. Rohee said that he provided them with the information he had.
According to the Minister, there were a lot of requests by government officials concerning what was happening in Linden, so he kept calling the police commissioner to get information but he could not get through to him.
After he was not getting through to the Top Cop, Rohee said that he was left with no other option than to contact Hicken, which was some time after 20:00hrs on July 18.
“I wanted to know what was happening and I wasn’t getting through to the commissioner so I had to call the commander,” Rohee told the commission.
Meeting at OP on July 19
On July 19, the Minister said that he attended a meeting at the Office of the President, with several Government officials and members of the opposition including, David Granger MP, Khemraj Ramjattan MP; Raphael Trotman, Speaker of the National Assembly and Nigel Hughes. According to Rohee at the meeting there was a request by the opposition to have Hicken removed from his post as divisional commander.
Hira questioned Rohee on whether he held a consultation with the Top Cop after that meeting with the officials and he said yes.
Rohee told the Commission that it was decided that Hicken will be reposted to force headquarters and his replacement would be Gavin Primo.
Commissioner Dana Seethal in questioning the witness inquired about a phone call Rohee said he made to Hicken sometime after 20:00hrs on July 18. He was asked to elaborate more. According to Rohee, the Commander gave him a general description and the information was a bit sketchy. The Minister said that commander Hicken tried his best to provide him with the information, irrespective of what the crowd at Linden was doing. The Minister said that he was informed that all of the Standard Operating Procedures were followed.
Rohee was asked about training ranks received, and according to the witness training in the Guyana Police Force is ongoing. It was ASP Alves who told the commission that the force would normally do refresher training every six months.
Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, in his cross-examination of the Minister grilled the minister over his telephone records, conversations with Hicken as well as Crime Chief Seelall Persaud.
The Minister said that some time about 20:00 h on the night of the fatal shooting he called Commissioner of Police Leroy Brumell for a briefing.  Hughes kept grilling the minister about several calls the minister made. The records for one of the mobile phones used by the Minister, as well as his office’s landline were presented.
The records showed that the telephone which Rohee said he used only had a ‘one’ second conversation with Brumell. However Hughes suggested to the Minister that a person could not have a conversation with just one second, since you could not even say “hello” properly. According to the records presented there were also no other attempts to call the Police Commissioner before resorting to calling Hicken on his mobile phone.
The Minister suggested that at times he would also ask his Secretary to call persons for him but according to the records this did not happen. Rohee said that he was being asked for updates on the situation in Linden by President Donald Ramotar, and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon among others hence a call to Hicken for an update.
The Home Affairs Minister testified also that the meeting held with Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell and Commander Hicken on July 17, the night before the shooting was informal in nature. He said that the three were “standing,” following a separate full-fledged meeting with the Commanders where he was informed of plans by Commissioner to deal with the scheduled protest. The Minister said that he did not issue any directives to Commander Hicken.
Minister Rohee has been the Minister of Home Affairs since September 9, 2006.

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