Georgetown, Guyana — Guyanese activist Melissa “Melly Mel” Atwell, a vocal critic of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), is at grave risk of extrajudicial killing or imprisonment if forcibly returned to Guyana, warns prominent political commentator Randy Gopaul. In an exclusive interview with Village Voice News, Gopaul urged international intervention, citing the PPP’s alleged history of silencing dissent through violence and political persecution.
“The PPP has a well-documented pattern of eliminating critics,” Gopaul stated. “Melissa’s life hangs in the balance, and the international community must act before Guyana’s streets claim another victim.”
Gopaul highlighted the PPP’s alleged involvement in over 1,400 extrajudicial killings since the 2000s, documented by human rights groups such as the Guyana Human Rights Association. Among the most notorious cases
– Ronald Waddell, a journalist and political activist, assassinated in 2006 after criticizing the PPP’s policies.
– Courtney Crum-Ewing, an anti-corruption campaigner shot dead in 2015 days after publicly urging citizens to vote against the PPP.
– Mark Benschop, a human rights activist imprisoned without trial for five years (2003–2008) on disputed charges of treason.
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who led Guyana from 1999 to 2011, has repeatedly faced accusations of orchestrating these acts. “Jagdeo belongs in The Hague,” Gopaul asserted. “The International Criminal Court (ICC) must investigate his role in crimes against humanity.”
Atwell, a U.S.-based activist, faces what her legal team calls “trumped-up charges” by the Guyanese government, widely viewed as retaliation for her advocacy against corruption and environmental exploitation. Gopaul warned that her return could mirror the fates of Waddell and Crum-Ewing. “The PPP thrives on fear. Melissa’s imprisonment or death would be a message to all dissenters,” he said.
Criticism has also been directed at the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, which Gopaul claims has failed to lobby Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to halt Atwell’s potential deportation despite “intimate knowledge of the PPP’s brutality.”
“The U.S. preaches human rights but seems to be turning a blind eye in this situation” said Gopaul. “History will judge this complicity harshly.” The PPP has denied that they have anything to do with Atwell’s detention but Attorney General Anil Nandlall’s threats to engage the US government regarding Atwell and others is well documented.
For their role in the history of extrajudicial killings in Guyana, the PPP has denied all allegations, calling them “baseless smears.” Jagdeo, now General Secretary of the party, dismissed calls for ICC scrutiny as “political theatrics.”
With Guyana’s oil boom attracting global investment, activists warn that the PPP is tightening its grip on power. Atwell’s case has galvanized local groups, who are planning massive protests against the government of Guyana should Atwell be deported.
“The people are watching,” Gopaul concluded. “If Melissa is harmed, the blood will be on the PPP’s hands, and the backlash will be swift. The PPP can forget any election victory or any hope of foreign investments when the country erupts”
