Police Commissioner should further investigations into threats against GECOM Chair-PSC

Jul 25, 2020 News

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is calling for the Commissioner of Police to probe investigations into the recent attacks on Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair, Claudette Singh.

GECOM Chair, Claudette Singh

As of recent, the GECOM Chair has been receiving attacks and threats via social media in relation to her refusing GECOM Chief Executive Officer Keith Lowenfield’s doctored report that showed a win for the APNU+AFC coalition.
On Monday July 20, a salesclerk saw himself being charged for threatening to kill the GECOM Chair and her family via a Facebook post. The man, Ryan Williams, was released on $50,000 bail and is expected to make another court appearance on August 3.
Williams, who claimed to be a supporter of the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (AFC+APNU), made a post under the fictitious name “Raheem Raahman”. In his post, he had stated that, “If you Claudette Singh think you will declare fraudulent votes so that the PPP will win, well think again bcuz you and everybody in ur house will f@#$ing dead”. His post sparked a police investigation and he was subsequently arrested.
The PSC highlighted that they have observed the increase in distasteful threats being directed against Claudette Singh and, as the declaration time quickly approaches, it is important that these threats are investigated.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Gerry Gouveia

They also added that, “It is clear, therefore, from where these posts have emanated and that they are a deliberate and criminal attempt to influence the decision of GECOM with regard to the declaration of the results of the elections.”
The organisation is calling for the Commissioner of Police to lead his troops in thoroughly investigating these cybercrimes so that the “despicable exploitation of Facebook” can come to an immediate end.
They also noted the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Bharrat Jagdeo’s “firm condemnations” of these cybercrimes, and called on APNU+AFC to exercise the same and set a positive example for their supporters. They also encouraged smaller parties to do this as well.
Opposition GECOM Commissioners Bibi Shadick, Robeson Benn and Sase Gunraj have also condemned the attacks on the GECOM Chair. In a statement they had argued, “While Commissioners may not always agree with the Chairwoman, she always discharged her duties with professionalism, fairness and impartiality, and in keeping with the tenets of the Constitution and other legal provisions.”
The Commissioners also scolded senior members of the APNU+AFC coalition for engaging in such conduct as well and asked that they desist from doing so.

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