Village Voice is privy to information United States (US) law enforcement has begun investigation into allegations made by Guyanese in the diaspora on transnational repression, political harassment, and rights violation. Several persons in the Guyanese American community have been interviewed and questioned recently about various activities and statements of Guyana government officials, the Guyana Police Force, as well as US-based supporters of the governing party and employees in the US.
On October 30, 2022 several Guyanese Organisations held a town hall meeting in Brooklyn at which several concerns were raised with US government officials; including the Attorney General of New York State, Letitia James, NYPD officials, Members of Congress and several other elected officials. Officials of the United States Justice Department and law enforcement were also reportedly at the meeting as observers.
James promised the attendees she and other democratic Attorneys General from States across the US will ask the US Justice Department to investigate complaints leveled at the Guyana government and Police Force, who have allegedly been targeting Guyanese living in the US.
It is unclear whether the probe was initiated as a result of the Brooklyn meeting, or has been ongoing. Two persons who were potentially interviewed by Federal Agents, declined to comment when contacted by Village Voice. “I will neither confirm or deny that”, said one of the persons contacted by Village Voice.
A Guyanese business owner in Brooklyn told Village Voice that something big was happening as officers had left literature at their establishment.
Last July, twenty-one Guyanese organisations in the New York Tristate area- New York, New Jersey and Connecticut- wrote to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Christopher Wray, outlining several alleged crime of transnational repression being committed by Government of Guyana and GPF. Officials.
Agents have been disseminating the flyer in the Guyanese community.
