‘We are standing here because we want justice!’

Mar 12, 2015 News

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As people demonstrate for slain activist outside Ministry of Legal affairs

Though they did not come out in their numbers beside Courtney Crum-Ewing in his lifetime, civil society made up for it by coming out yesterday to take up the mantel from the fallen social activist. They gathered outside of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, where his one-man protests first brought him to national attention.

Crum-Ewing was gunned down Tuesday night at Third Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) while urging residents to vote against the ruling party in the upcoming General and Regional Elections on May 11.
Among the gathering was Ruel Johnson, a political activist, who expressed his outrage at the murder of Crum-Ewing.
“If you have a citizen that is protesting and there is an escalating pattern of harassment that culminates in his murder while he is engaged in a political act, then on the surface it would appear to be a political assassination.”
Asked about the protest action, Johnson said that it was a spontaneous movement that started on the social media with numerous citizens expressing their indignation. Moreover, the overwhelming calls for citizens to stand in solidarity with the martyred activist led to the

assemblage outside of the Attorney General’s office.
“Frankly, I think people need to be able to stand up in solidarity to prevent things like this happening. This is not something that is healthy to even a faltering democracy, much less the democracy people purport or say we have.”
“This man was not carrying a gun, he was carrying a bullhorn! He was never considered violent. And people missed the chance to stand with him when he was alive, so this is a chance to stand with him in memory.”
Johnson laid out the bottom line. “He was a political dissident engaged in political activity and he was killed. There was no robbery. And he had suffered escalating harassment. People might see it in isolation, but this is a man who, while he was here, had his placards taken away.
“He tried to use the toilet (in AG office) once and he was imprisoned, wrongfully. He’s had his minibus vandalized. He’s had threats. I posted something someone had sent me, some video threatening me about two days ago and he made a joke about it and said he could show me and compare it with the threats he receives.
“About seven in the evening I received a call from someone asking me to make contact with Courtney and after trying to call him, with his phone ringing out, I eventually got the news that he was dead. Nobody should die like that, voicing their opinions, if we purport to live in a democracy. And what is unhelpful is that even before police reporters come out, the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is a state entity, is putting out a statement that is inherently prejudicial and politically tainted.”
Johnson said that should there be any justice served in the matter, reasonable public outrage as expressed in the non-violent way that Ewing represented was necessary. He also cited the necessity for a fair, comprehensive investigation and the provision of adequate forensic to identify the killers.
Sherod Duncan, former president of University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS), also weighed in on the death of Crum-Ewing, proclaiming it as very unfortunate that such a young life was lost in the circumstances. He emphasized the importance of recognizing everyone’s right to freedom of speech.
“Once people are using that freedom adequately and not to infringe on anyone’s rights to those same freedoms, nobody in this country should come to that kind of end, in that manner.
“In Guyana we have the freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly. There are many who would probably have wanted to be standing here with us today but they are afraid to come out because they are afraid to be seen supporting this or to be seen exercising their constitutional right. No person exercising these rights responsibly should be victimized by anyone or by any political group.
“We are very concerned about what is happening. We are standing here today because we want justice”
While making it clear that it was not a protest against the Attorney General, the activists said that the protest was located in front of the Ministry of Legal Affairs because that was where Ewing was last protesting. They went on to state that in his honor, memory and boldness they were standing in solidarity with Crum-Ewing’s cause.
They also declared that should it be a regular event, they will return as regularly as possible.
Courtney Crum-Ewing started protesting and attracted media attention last year after an explosive phone conversation between a senior Kaieteur News reporter and Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, surfaced.
The phone call, in which Nandlall was heard warning 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 Carmichael Street office of the Attorney General.
Crum–Ewing had said that his protests were because Nandlall’s actions were shameful.  “I have three daughters, a mother, a sister and many female relatives that I care about… so I feel strongly about this issue,” the man had said.
He was later reportedly charged with breaching the peace after he used the washroom belonging to the offices of the Attorney General.

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