| -refuse $50,000 bail each (from left) Norris Witter, Mark Benschop and Lincoln Lewis wave to sympathizers as they were about to be placed into the Brickdam lock-ups. By Dale AndrewsA peaceful picketing exercise outside the office of the Commissioner of Police ended abruptly with the arrests of former treason accused Mark Benschop; General Secretary of the Caribbean Congress of Labour, Lincoln Lewis; and Acting General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Norris Witter, yesterday.The trio was hauled off to the Brickdam Police Station shortly before midday by a group of armed ranks and subsequently placed onto the lock-ups pending charges.Benschop, Lewis and Witter were part of a five-member demonstration,Wholesale Jerseys, which included former Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen and Canadian Immigration Consultant, Balwant Persaud.While the police took no action against the other two persons, Benschop, Lewis and Witter appeared to be the target in what many persons are describing as a calculated move by the police.Police, in a press release last night, said that the men were arrested for illegal picketing, disorderly behaviour, resisting arrest and assaulting peace officer.This newspaper was on hand outside the Commissioner’s office during the demonstration which commenced some time around 11:00 hours.Within minutes, several ranks descended on the scene and ordered the demonstrators to remove from the location.However, the demonstrators insisted that it was their democratic right to protest and refused to heed the request.After several minutes of verbal confrontation during which the demonstrators insisted that they will not remove, the ranks acting on instructions, attempted to arrest them.But the demonstrators demanded to know the reason for their arrests and the police appeared to be backing off.A few minutes later another senior officer arrived on the scene and he issued an immediate order for the arrest of the trio.There was some resistance as Lewis and Benschop questioned their arrests citing their right to protest peacefully.Lewis even went into the Young Street canal and dared the police to come and arrest him.“I will lie in this trench and y’all will have to come in and arrest me,” Lewis told the ranks.Eventually he came out and was promptly set upon and bundled into a waiting minivan that contained Benschop and Witter.The police then sped along Carifesta Avenue, taking the men to the Brickdam Police Station where they were booked and subsequently locked-up.As they were heading to the lock-ups, the men stood and gave the victory sign to several reporters and cameramen who had converged on the Brickdam Police Station as news of the arrests circulated.Yesterday’s demonstration, the second outside the office of the Commissioner within a week, occurred just minutes after Police Commissioner Henry Greene had described the trio as the ‘Three Musketeers’.Benschop, Lewis and Witter commenced their three-man demonstration at the opening of the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference, which opened on July 2, last, at the National Cultural Centre.They continued with demonstrations outside the Ministries of Education and Home Affairs last week and again this week.This newspaper understands that the decision to arrest the men was reportedly hatched at the 170th Police Anniversary breakfast last week.Attorney at law Khemraj Ramjattan, who appeared at the Brickdam Police Station on behalf of the detained men, said that the detention was uncalled for.According to Ramjattan the officer he spoke with at the station had indicated that he would have determined whether the men would be released since he had to do further investigations.“I told him that it is a minor offence, if indeed they committed the offence of disorderly behaviour. He’s saying that he has his job to do and he wants to complete that aspect of it before he makes a determination as to whether bail should be granted,” Ramjattan said.According to the attorney, the trio has indicated that the conditions in the Brickdam lock-ups are atrocious.“The persons are indicating that it is inhumane condition, it’s filthy, smelly. I told the officer that these are popular figures, public figures and they ought not to be thrown in like that but he indicated that he has to do his job,” Ramjattan said.He pointed out that the arrested men were protesting,Wholesale Authentic NFL Jerseys, as is their constitutional right.The attorney stressed that anyone is entitled to protest anywhere in a public place in Guyana.“Like I said rights are being taken away in this country at a pace far more rapid than what happened in the Burnham regime and these are popular figures who have been carrying on a campaign for a couple of days. What’s wrong with that?” Ramjattan who is also an opposition Member of Parliament said.He said that while he has some reservations,China NFL Jerseys, indications have revealed a tendency towards a dictatorship in Guyana.Ramjattan noted that it is ironic that Home Affairs Minister,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, Clement Rohee, is presiding over a police force at a time when these types of ‘atrocities’ are taking place.“The last time I was here for something like this, it was in relation to peaceful picketing and Mr. Clement Rohee was locked up like that. Mr. Rohee was indicating that it was so wrong and unlawful. Now he’s Home Affairs Minister and he’s allowing this to happen. It’s terrible. It seems like it’s just cyclical at this time.“It happened several years ago and today we see this happening again. Those who suffered and are now in ministerial positions are having others suffer exactly like them,” Ramjattan pointed out.By 18:00 hours yesterday, several sympathizers assembled outside the Brickdam Police Station.These included, Mayor Hamilton Green, Alliance for Change Leader, Raphael Trotman; PNCR leadership candidate,Cheap NBA Store, Dr Richard Van West-Charles; and President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Gillian Burton.Trotman said that he believes that the right of any person to peacefully protest should be respected.“The right to protest is a basic human right. We may not always respect what people are saying but we must respect their right to speak. I didn’t know that we were living in a dictatorship but these little events when coupled with all the other things that we see happening tell us that this country has become a dictatorship,” the AFC Leader said.According to Trotman it is obvious that the government feels afraid, lashing out at anyone who tries to embarrass it.TUC President Gillian Burton also agreed that what has happened to the three men is a transgression of the rights of citizens.She said that the Trade Union Movement saw it coming when a Bill was taken to the National Assembly, seeking to limit the rights of workers to take industrial action.“What has happened here is that they have decided to send a signal to people that they are serious about what they are doing,” Burton stated.She said that it is a very sad day for trade unionism when one looks at the struggle put up by Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow and late leaders of the very political party in power including Janet and Cheddi Jagan, for the rights of citizens.“Today, with the passing of those persons, we have seen the very political party that they had founded has now turned the guns on the workers and the trade union leaders,” the GTUC President told this newspaper, adding that the movement will stand up against further attempts to trample on the rights of citizens.Mayor Hamilton Green said that the same people who speak about freedom of speech and the return of democracy are doing the exact opposite.“A cardinal aspect of democracy is that people should express their concern and there are a lot of concerns in this country. A lot of discrimination is taking place in this country and the Trade Unionists and Mark Benschop and others should express their views and not be interfered with,Deportivas Asics Mujer Baratas,” the Mayor said.He said that the use of the Guyana Police Force to perpetuate the trampling of citizens rights is very unfortunate.And Dr. Richard Van West Charles said that the arrest of Benschop, Lewis and Witter is once again a clear demonstration of the abuse of power by senior police ranks and the continued violation of people’s human rights in Guyana.“I think that enough is enough and we have to mobilise to ensure that this government does persist in this action. And we are going to mobilize and get to that point very soon,” Dr. Charles said.At around 19:20 hours last evening, in the midst of a noisy vigil, a police officer informed that the trio was granted bail in the sum of $50,000 each.However, the detainees indicated that the bail is extraordinarily high and that they would rather remain in jail since they preferred to be released on their own recognaissance. |
