Freedom of Expression
Press Release 148/06
OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONDEMNS ATTACK AGAINST NEWSPAPER IN GUYANA AND DEMANDS PROMPT INVESTIGATION
Washington, D.C., August 11, 2006. The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS condemns the attack perpetrated on August 8, 2006, against the Kaieteur News printing plant in Georgetown, Guyana, where four employees were killed and two were gravely injured. The Rapporteurship urges Guyanese authorities to investigate these crimes swiftly and effectively and to ensure that the persons responsible are duly punished.
According to the information received by the Rapporteurship, during the night of August 8, 2006, a group of masked gunmen entered the Kaieteur News printing plant and opened fire against the local security guard. It is indicated that afterwards, the assailants forced the printing staff employees: Mark Mikoo, Chitram Persaud, Eion Wegman, Richard Stewart and Shazeem Mohamed, to lie face down on the floor, where they were shot in the back of the head. It has been stated that the security guard is in stable condition, while Shazeem Mohamed is in critical condition.
The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression emphasizes that according to the American Convention on Human Rights, States have the duty to prevent, investigate, and punish all violations of rights recognized therein. To this end, the Rapporteurship urges Guyanese authorities to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the persons responsible for this crime are brought to justice and that it be determined if the murders were related to the exercise of the journalistic activity of the Kaieteur News.
Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression notes that: “the murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the States to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive adequate compensation”.
The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Ignacio J. Álvarez, noted that “when investigating these crimes it is especially important to charge not only the direct perpetrators, but also the masterminds and the additional individuals whose collaboration and tacit acceptance made these crimes possible.”
For additional information about the Office of the Special Rapporteur: http://www.cidh.org/relatoria