Preliminary works on Rodney inquiry underway

TIMES INT'L

As preliminary work begins for a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the assassination of political activist and historian Dr Walter Rodney, the Family Court has been identified as the headquarters.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who made the announcement at a post-Cabinet media briefing Wednesday, said funds will be appropriated for the resources the commission needs to carry out its mandate.
“Such activities include the collection of data from the variety of sources that have historically been involved in review and judicial revises in some cases, parliamentary review in others, of Dr Rodney’s assassination,” Dr Luncheon said.
Details of the terms of reference to guide the commission and the appointment of the commissioners will also be ironed out. Dr Luncheon said it was agreed that the commission and its work will be supported by initiatives that were not used before such as immunity from prosecution and amnesty.
President Donald Ramotar’s announcement of the CoI came on the occasion of Dr Rodney’s 33rd death anniversary, much to the satisfaction of the party he founded, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), now a member of the opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Dr Rodney, a major political challenger to the administration of Forbes Burnham, was killed on June 13, 1980 when an explosive device that was concealed in a “walkie talkie” radio detonated. The device was given to him by a former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) sergeant who later fled to French Guiana where he remained in exile until his death several years ago.

Related posts