“No one is safe in Guyana. Anyone can be murdered with impunity,” Why Won’t Government Investigate Henry and Singh Murders?

Four years after the horrific and senseless killings of Isaiah and Joel Henry, and 17-year-old Haresh Singh, their families are still waiting for justice. Yet, once again, Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir has blocked a motion calling on the government to take real action to solve these brutal murders.

Opposition Member of Parliament Geeta Chandon-Edmond has repeatedly brought the motion before the National Assembly, pleading for expert investigators to be hired to find those responsible. But each time, Speaker Nadir has dismissed it, refusing to even allow a discussion on the matter.

Chandon-Edmond’s motion reminds the nation of what happened between September 6 and 9, 2020, when the mutilated bodies of the two Henry cousins were discovered in the bushes of the West Coast Berbice, and just days later, Haresh Singh was also viciously killed and his motorcycle set on fire. These gruesome crimes sent shockwaves through the country, leaving families devastated and communities in fear.

Despite widespread calls for justice, no real answers have been given, and no convictions have been made. “To date, these horrific deaths remain substantially unresolved,” Chandon-Edmond stated in her motion. She argued that the government has a duty to ensure that “matters of national interest” like these crimes are not ignored.

Why would an oil-rich, modernizing nation, a country that claims to stand for One Guyana, reject the opportunity to bring in the best experts to solve these murders? Is justice in Guyana only for some and not for others?

A resident of West Coast Berbice, who requested anonymity, expressed the fear that lingers in communities still haunted by these crimes. “No one is safe in Guyana. Anyone can be murdered with impunity,” the resident said.

The families of the victims deserve answers. The people of Guyana deserve to know why their elected leaders refuse to act. And more importantly, they deserve to live in a country where justice is not selective, but guaranteed for all.