Former Minister of Home Affairs Gail Teixeira said that the chances of there being an independent Commission of Inquiry on the death squads, phantom gangs and extra-judicial killing are slim to none, without persons coming forward to tender evidence. Answering questions at a press conference yesterday, Teixeira said that Government is “probing” the matter and that they are waiting to see if persons would come forward with evidence.
“If no evidence, then no inquiry,” she said. She said that on that issue,Government is working along with a “friendly” country.
Teixeira was one of the persons returning from Geneva after appearing on Guyana’s behalf on the Universal Periodic Review on Guyana’s human rights situation. Among the recommendations that came from some of the countries was that Guyana investigate and prosecute extra-judicial killings and all ill-treatments, including human rights abused committed by “Phantom” death squad”.
Head of the delegation to Geneva, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues, said that Government is encouraging persons with information on the killings to turn this over to the Police.
Asked whether Government has considered the question of witness protection with a view to shielding would be testifiers, Teixeira said that the witness protection issue is one that has been looked it. But she said that Guyana, as would many countries in the region, would find it a challenge to put in place such a programme, given the modest populations. Referring to Guyana, she said, “This is 700,000 people.”
She told the media that persons must not cherry pick in deciding when and how a body is independently composed, based on if they are in favour with the results of the work that the body has undertaken. She said that the Commissions of Inquiry into the Disciplined Forces and the Ronald Gajraj phantom allegations were both independent.
The former Government Minister said that it is a challenge to get persons to come to the police with evidence, and she said that the Guyana Police Force is the legally appointed body to investigate such allegations. She said that even if the Government were to set up a Commission of Inquiry, evidence will still have to be brought forth for it to act. She insisted that all Commissions of Inquiry, once they follow the law, are considered independent.
She said that in the brouhaha of calls for there to be one kind of investigation or another, the killings of Lusignan and Bartica in 2008 seem to have become lost.