Solomon calls on police commissioner to launch criminal investigation into Linden deaths

Lindeners are advocating for criminal charges to be brought against ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) following the submission of the report arising out of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the protests in the mining town in July 2012, during which three people were killed. During an interview with Guyana Times International, Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon said he met with 18 victims at the regional democratic office last Friday, who demanded that justice must be served.

According to the CoI, headed by retired Jamaican Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe, the police were responsible for the shooting to death of Ron Somerset, 18; Shemroy Bouyea, 24; and Allan Lewis, 46.
“We believe that the police were responsible for the shooting to death of the three persons,” the CoI said in its report handed over to President Donald Ramotar on February 28.
Against this background, Solomon said acting Police Commissioner Leroy Brummell must now launch an investigation to ascertain the ranks who shot and killed Bouyea, Somerset, and Lewis.
“And having regards that the commission has submitted its findings to the people of Guyana, the task is now yours to be guided by this report, and execute action(s) consistent with the law, to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and the recommendations enshrined are pursued to ensure a better force,” the Region 10 chairman stated in a letter to the acting police commissioner dated March 5, 2013.
While Linden is appreciative of the fact that the CoI report identifies the police as the persons responsible for the death of the trio, the Gy$8 million compensation recommended has been deemed “woefully inadequate”. The CoI has recommended that the government of Guyana compensate the relatives of Lewis and Bouyea to the tune of Gy$3 million each and the family of Somerset Gy $2 million, since he was not the sole breadwinner but a student of the Linden Technical Institute.
Close relatives of Bouyea and Lewis along with A Partnership for National Unity Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon and the regional chairman had expressed dissatisfaction over the amount of money allotted, reiterating that it is “woefully inadequate”.
“While we welcome the general outcome of the CoI, we are convinced that the criteria used by the CoI to assess compensation for death is clearly flawed. The people of Region 10 want to know what were the criteria used.
“Did the CoI assess what was required to maintain a family? Did they assess what it costs to send two children to university?” Solomon had asked during a recent press conference.
Questioned about what the families and victims would consider as “adequate compensation”, Solomon on Sunday said, following deliberation on Friday, it was agreed that as a collective body, they would solicit the assistance of legal personnel to assist with this venture.
He explained that the acquired legal personnel would scrutinise the CoI report, in particular the reasoning behind the allotted sum. After studying the report, the legal advisors would recommend the sum to be demanded, Solomon disclosed.
Organisers must pay
While Solomon and the affected Lindeners are demanding that government pay more, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall said those who were instrumental in organising the Linden protest should pay some compensation.
Speaking on behalf of the administration, Minister Nandlall noted that the government will abide by the findings and recommendations of the CoI report.
He said while the Region 10 chairman selectively emphasises sections of the report which state that government should compensate the families and the police are responsible for the death of the trio, he failed to acknowledge sections of the report which said that the organisers of the protest are accountable as well.
“Sharma Solomon should pay attention to the part of the report where it states that the organisers of this event must bear some responsibility for what transpired… this compensation will be paid using taxpayers’ dollars, which could have been used in the education and healthcare sectors. The government now has to divert this money away from such important projects to pay compensation for something it did not organise,” the minister stated during a recent interview.