Last updated on Wednesday, 23 December 2020, 21:19 by Denis Chabrol
President of the Guyana Human Rights Association, Mike Mc Cormack (first right) and Director of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), Dr. Luis Fondebrider talks to several people about killing and mutilating Isaiah and Joel Henry in September, 2020.
Thirty-five prominent Guyanese – many of them in their individual right, or affiliated with numerous rights and civil society organizations – called on the police and government to receive high-tech forensic assistance from Argentina to stop the hope to solve the killing of three West Coast Berbice youths in September.
“We call on the President of Guyana, the Police Commissioner, the Guyana Police investigation teams, and the Minister of Home Affairs to make every immediate effort to get the EAAF back with a full team to conduct a forensic investigation into the murders. of Isaiah and Joel Henry and Harish Singh and to have full access to autopsy reports and all other evidence collected, including the results of investigations conducted to date, ”said statement signatories.
They plan to petition President Irfaan Ali to agree to bring in the Argentine team, even as they call on the heads of the diplomatic community in Guyana to make every effort to support and encourage the Guyana government to allow the EAAF to hold a comprehensive investigation of the horrific murders of Henrys and Singh.
The hacking bodies of Henry’s cousins were found overrun by Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice on September 6, 2020. Three days later at the height of the tensions caused by the death of the Henrys, Singh was killed and his motorcycle burned as he had be going to his farm in Village Number Three.
Several people had subsequently been arrested and released, and police have not given a reason why the trousers found in one of the bodies were not submitted for DNA testing.
On Tuesday 15 December 2020, Dr. Luis Fondebrider of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), whose visit to Guyana to offer a preliminary assessment in relation to the murders of Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh by Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) gave a public lecture and presentation at Brickdam Cathedral on the work of the EAAF worldwide.
In the face of apparent government reluctance to accept the assistance of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EEAF), led by the Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Luis Fondebrider, the 35 people stated that the EAAF has the “expertise and experience” to achieve detail. , a rigorous and comprehensive scientific investigation into the mutilation and killing of the Henrys and Singh based on the best international protocols. “” We call on the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Police Force to put the interests of the Guyanese people before all other considerations while saving no effort to bring those responsible for the murders of Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh to justice and bring some in front of their better kind of closure to the worry and pain their families are enduring, ”they said.
The group noted that since the beginning of September, all efforts of Guyana Police have failed to produce any clear results and answers to questions of who committed the mutilation and killing, where they occurred, the motives behind them and who else could have been a part of covering them up.
Apparently referring to racial tensions that had taken place following the killing of the Henrys, the Group of 35 noted that “Guyana is a broken and divided country and that the Berbice West Coast murders have revealed the fragility of ethnic relations.” “Guyanese, who think right, must not allow this best chance to pass.”
Dr. Fondebrider has already submitted a list of 20 pieces of information he wants the police to submit to him. These include crime scene reports, autopsy reports, maps, photos and names of the laboratories where the tests were carried out. He also wants to find out if Minnesota’s Protocol on Investigating a potentially illegal Death was followed.
“There is no good reason to block or deny the expertise of the EAAF to get to the bottom of these horrific attacks that took the lives of three youths. Any attempt to do so can only be seen as a call and a lack of humanity, ”the group said.
They said an added bonus for Guyana is that the EAAF is ready to offer not only scientific expertise but has also indicated that, in line with their practice in other countries in which they have worked, they are prepared to train Guyana Police so that a professional, well-trained and well-resourced Guyanese Crime Scene Investigation unit can be established.
“This expertise is currently very scarce in Guyana, as is evident in the many unresolved cases,” they added.
The Group of 35 also criticized the police for allegedly violating Henry’s cousins’ human rights while returning home from Dr’s lecture. Fondebrider at Brickdam Cathedral because none of them had his driving license in his possession. Both sides have accused each other of assault and since then the Henrys have been charged with several related crimes. But the group believed that the police could have acted humanely in the circumstances.
“The failure to address such a straightforward issue by Guyana Police and the depressing treatment of Henry’s family members demonstrates more than ever the need for EAAF services and the necessity for professional training to the police at all levels. , ”Said the group.
The signatories are Danuta Radzik – Human Rights Activist, Karen de Souza – Red Thread, Alissa Trotz – Lecturer in Caribbean Studies Vanda Radzik – Citizen, Vidyaratha Kissoon – Taxpayer, Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, Bonita Harris – Educator, Raquel Thomas – Social Justice, Frederick Collins, President of Guyana Transparency Institute Inc .; Alfred Bhulai – Citizen, Cheryl Sampson – Deputy Chair – Women and Gender Equality Commission, Nicole Cole – Women and Gender Equality Commission, Renata Chuck-A-Sang – Women and Gender Equality Commission, Brian O’Toole – Educator, Dave Martins – Citizen , Musician; Terrence Campbell – Citizen, Jocelyn Dow – Business woman, Ayo Dalgety-Dean – Children’s Rights Activist, Mosa Telford – Author, Journalist, Akola Thompson – Gender Rights Activist, Sherlina Nageer – Public Health and Social Justice Professional, Charlene Wilkinson – Lecturer AS – Languages, Arianne Harris – Citizen, Nichola Joy Marcus – Grassroots Advocate for Women and Children, Wintress White – Grassroots – Social Justice and Gender, Halima Khan – Grassroots – Social Justice and Gender, Vanessa Ross – Grassroots – Rights Defender, Josephine Whitehead – Lawyer, Susan Collymore – Grassroots – Rights Defender, Joel Simpson – Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), Alicia Roopnaraine – Public Health Psychologist, Lisa Edwards – Citizen – Researcher, Pauline Bullen – University Lecturer – Director of Institute for Gender Studies , Omattie Madray – Children’s Rights Activist, and Janette Bulkan – Citizen