The torture of 15-year-old Tywon Thomas one of the most heinous and inhumane crimes in Guyana that attracted international attention and condemnation. This crime occurred in 2009 during the Bharrat Jagdeo presidency.
On October 28, 2009 at about 16:00 hrs the teen was escorted to Leonora Police Station by Constables Foo and Singh and placed in custody. At that time there were no visible injuries on him on the exposed parts of his body, according to the report. Later that day Thomas was taken to the C.I.D Office at Leonora where four ranks interviewed him in relation to murder. The teen recounted even while maintaining his innocence that for the alleged murder former Regional Chairman, Ramenauth Bisram, he was told to undress.
A report said he was told to remove all his clothing after which, he was beaten with a hard object. His hands were then bound in front and he was placed to lie on the floor and beaten on his feet. During that ordeal, he managed to partly remove the jersey from his face but was simultaneously hit behind his neck by one of the policemen. The jersey was pulled back over his head, and he was dealt a clash with a heavy object to his stomach. Thomas said that the four ranks who tortured him were recognisable.
In 2011 Thomas took the Attorney General to court and won. The court awarded him $6.5 million in compensation. The Attorney General initially signalled an intent to appeal the judgment but withdrew the appeal. The officers involved were separately charged with criminal offences, but they were not found liable after the victim failed to show up in court. Critics believe the victim was paid not to attend court resulting in the charges being dismissed.
The officers who allegedly tortured Thomas were removed from the Force by the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government.
Read more of the court case here
Read the torture report here from Kaieteur News or
