The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Political Party has urged United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke visas of Guyanese officials involved in prosecuting American citizen Stanley Basdeo, claiming the government is using the courts to intimidate the public and suppress free speech.
Basdeo, a U.S.-based businessman who has operated a car dealership in Guyana since 2013, was charged under Guyana’s cybercrime laws after posting a video on TikTok expressing frustration over his inability to obtain a firearm licence. Following the video, he was arrested, jailed, released on bail, and formally charged. According to WIN, the charges violate both U.S. constitutional protections under the First Amendment and Guyanese laws guaranteeing freedom of expression.
“The Guyana government violates basic U.S. as well as Guyana laws on free speech and is using the court to intimidate the public from speaking out against and exposing widespread corruption of leading members of the government,” the party said in a statement. WIN called on the Ali administration to drop all charges against Basdeo and allow him to operate his business freely in both countries.
The party referenced U.S. policy initiatives under Secretary Rubio and former President Donald Trump, noting that the U.S. has established visa restrictions on foreign officials who censor American citizens or companies. “Any foreign government that censors Americans and U.S. companies for their opinion will be sanctioned,” the party said, quoting Rubio’s May 2025 announcement. The policy aims to prevent foreign governments or officials from intimidating Americans or pressuring U.S. tech platforms to suppress American viewpoints.
WIN encouraged Basdeo to contact the American Ambassador to Guyana, Ms. Sarah Theriot, and Sarah Rogers, Under-Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, to raise the case. The party also pledged to communicate directly with U.S. authorities to ensure attention is given to what it calls “harassment, prosecution, and bribery attempts” connected to Basdeo’s gun licence applications.
“We call on the government to drop charges against Stanley Basdeo and free him so he can run his honest business in Guyana and the USA and quickly return to his family in America,” the WIN statement said.
