GEORGETOWN, Guyana (Village Voice News), Opposition Member of Parliament Sherod Duncan was today arrested by police after reportedly flying a drone in the vicinity of the Information Centre at Charity, where officials have been coordinating aspects of the response to the MV Barima tragedy.
According to Opposition MP Dr. Terrence Campbell, Duncan had earlier been instructed by police to leave the Charity Information Centre. Dr. Campbell said Duncan complied with the instruction and departed the location. However, he later flew a drone over the Information Centre area from another location. Dr. Campbell maintains that Duncan’s actions were lawful and that flying the drone under those circumstances was not illegal.
Despite this, Duncan was subsequently arrested by police, prompting strong condemnation from opposition officials.
Speaking from a vessel that was travelling toward the MV Barima wreck site, Dr. Campbell announced that the independent search mission would be abandoned so the team could return and respond to Duncan’s arrest.
“We will have to abort this mission. Instead of looking for bodies, we’re going to have to focus on dealing with the situation of MP Sherod Duncan’s arrest and having him released immediately,” Dr. Campbell said, while calling on President Irfaan Ali to intervene.
Dr. Campbell argued that the arrest was an attempt to prevent transparency surrounding the government’s response to the MV Barima disaster. He also criticized what he described as the lack of visible state search and recovery activity in the area where the vessel sank, while opposition resources were assisting in the search.
The Guyana Police Force had not, at the time of publication, issued an official statement explaining the legal basis for Duncan’s arrest or whether any charges had been laid.
**This is a developing story. Village Voice News will provide updates as more information becomes available.**
