By Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur
A BUSINESSMAN, his son, a handy man and two others are in police custody as the investigation into the gruesome murder of the two teenagers from Number 3 Village, West Coast Berbice, continues amid widespread protests from residents demanding justice for the boys.

According to information received, the businessman from Cotton Tree village, who is also a rice farmer, was taken into custody late Sunday evening along with his son, after the bodies of the Henry cousins were found on land belonging to him.
On Monday morning, a handyman under his employ was also taken into custody, while two other persons were arrested late Monday afternoon as the Major Crimes Unit in Georgetown took over the investigations.

The butchered bodies of Isaiah Henry, 16, and Joel Henry, 19, both of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) were found in the Cotton Tree backlands at around 15:00hrs on Sunday. They had left on Saturday morning to pick coconuts in the backdam but never returned home.

Their bodies bore several chop wounds. Isaiah had the letter ‘X’ carved on the back of his head and forehead, while Joel’s chest was cut open, exposing his organs and also suffered several broken bones.

The manner in which the youths met their demise has sent the closely knit community in a state of shock and anger. Residents took to the streets from Sunday night in protest, burning tyres and blocking the roads, demanding justice for the lads.

Several other communities across the country joined the protest for the boys on Monday, bringing traffic to a halt on West Coast Berbice.

President Irfaan Ali has called for swift justice for the grieving families of the slain teens, while asking residents to allow the law-enforcement officials to do their jobs.

“I assure you that as President, I will work very, very hard to ensure those criminals are brought to justice…. We have to work on ensuring that crimes like these do not reoccur…. I ask that you give them an opportunity to complete their work, to support them as they seek to
aggressively bring the perpetrators to justice; that whatever we do in demonstrating our emotions, I appeal to you to do so in a peaceful manner, to do so in a respectful manner, to do so in a lawful manner,” President Ali said.

He also called on persons to be mindful of statements and actions that can add fuel to an already charged situation and to stand in support with the grieving Henry family.

DO NOT DIVIDE

“I want to ask all Guyanese not to use this moment to divide us or to separate us, but for us to be conscious of the implications that our statements, comments and posts can have, especially on social media…. I can tell you the parents of these two young men are sincere; they are
humble people and as they go through this moment of loss, as they grieve in these moments, communities from which these young men came… what we can do as a people, as a country, as Guyanese is to strengthen our resolve, strengthen our commitment, strengthen our sense of
purpose to our communities, to our neighbours, to our friends, to each other in ensuring that our society… our communities do not have to go through these painful moments.”

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, speaking at a press conference on Monday, said the
Guyana Police Force has been mandated to not spare any lawful effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice, while demanding a complete and thorough investigation.

He also called for patience and to allow the police to conduct their investigations and asked that residents desist from blocking the roadways.

“I share the shock, hurt and anger at this gruesome event and particularly, the grief of the families and friends of these youths of all of the Berbice communities. The countrywide distress, abhorrence and condemnation are noteworthy and very keenly felt…. There are
reports of a resumption of blockages of roads and associated bridges on the West Coast Berbice Highway. This activity will not aid, but will surely hamper, the overriding issue of resolving this crime expeditiously. The efforts of some agitators will, also, have a similar effect and lead to a general breakdown in public safety and security. I wish to urge all residents of the local communities to act in a manner that is lawful and helpful to the police in aiding their work
and in preserving the peace across and between all communities,” the minister urged.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has also echoed similar sentiments while reminding the protesters that they will take appropriate actions against rouge elements who break the laws.

EXERCISE CALM

“While the force is aware of the origin of this protest, and by extension the state of emotions of protestors from the affected villages, the administration of the force wish to urge persons engaged in protest action to exercise calm while we continue with intensity to investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. The force is also in receipt of several reports of robberies being perpetrated on several innocent citizens, acts which the force takes seriously,” the force said in a statement.

The GPF also said that when protest action degenerates into unlawful acts, infringing on the rights of other citizens and putting the protection of life and the safeguard of property at risk, it will take the appropriate action against perpetrators.

Meanwhile, former President David Granger, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and former ministers Nicolette Henry and Simona Broomes and other representatives of the coalition visited the relatives of the murdered teens. They also pledged to take care of the funeral expenses of the boys and called for an independent and through investigations in the
murder.
As night closed in on Monday and protesters did no one showed no sign of leaving, police had no alternative but to using tear gas and rubber bullets to get the residents off the roadways but protests in East Berbice Corentyne erupted as well.

Residents of Fyrish/Gibraltar and Number 53/Union villages, Corentyne also took to the roadways in solidarity with residents of West Coast Berbice demanding justice for the slain teens.