Guyanese magistrate dismisses racial hostility charges against opposition politicians
Key Points(5)
- A magistrate's court in Guyana on Friday dismissed charges of exciting racial hostility and cybercrime brought against opposition parliamentarian Sherod Duncan and former Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine, ruling that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence.
- Magistrate Leron Daly found that there was no proof a computer system had been used to transmit the alleged offense, and no evidence that any device was examined to support the cybercrime charge.
- She further stated that the prosecution failed to demonstrate that the men incited or attempted to incite racial hostility.
- The charges stemmed from a 2022 protest by vendors outside the Georgetown Hospital, during which police alleged that Duncan and Narine had intentionally transmitted a video online to provoke racial division.
- The video featured Narine questioning the government's handling of vendor-related issues, contrasting them with how it addressed matters concerning sugar workers and speedboat operators.
A magistrate's court in Guyana on Friday dismissed charges of exciting racial hostility and cybercrime brought against opposition parliamentarian Sherod Duncan and former Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine, ruling that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence.
Magistrate Leron Daly found that there was no proof a computer system had been used to transmit the alleged offense, and no evidence that any device was examined to support the cybercrime charge. She further stated that the prosecution failed to demonstrate that the men incited or attempted to incite racial hostility.
The charges stemmed from a 2022 protest by vendors outside the Georgetown Hospital, during which police alleged that Duncan and Narine had intentionally transmitted a video online to provoke racial division. The video featured Narine questioning the government's handling of vendor-related issues, contrasting them with how it addressed matters concerning sugar workers and speedboat operators. He also questioned whether religious differences affected his working relationship with President Irfaan Ali.
Magistrate Daly said the statements made by Narine did not amount to hostility but rather a comparison between groups, and noted that no inciting language was proven. Duncan had streamed the protest live on Facebook, but Daly concluded there was no evidence of a cyber offense under Guyana's law.
The politicians, who were on GUY$100,000 bail each, had not been required to enter a plea as the charges were indictable. They and members of the opposition had maintained from the outset that the charges were politically motivated and baseless.
In her ruling, Daly emphasized that without technical evidence or clear incitement, the charges could not be sustained.
