Statement by WPA on Kidackie Amsterdam arrest and detention

The Working People’s Alliance condemns in the strongest terms the arrest and detention of Kidackie Amsterdam by the police on the flimsy accusation of committing cyber-crime against a citizen with high connections.  Tuesday, May 28,2024  at approximately 10:00 am detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department descended on the home of Mr. Amsterdam, a WPA executive member, and arrested him.  He was taken to the CID headquarters and held for two hours before he was transferred to the Ruimveldt police station where he is currently being detained. He was informed of the reason for his arrest only after repeated queries by his attorney, Nigel Hughes.

The complainant named by the police, who is known to be a close friend of a high government functionary, has already brought a civil case against Mr. Amsterdam stemming from remarks made on the Guyana Morning Time Social Media broadcast. That the police are now pursuing criminal charges can only be seen as an attempt to influence the civil matter or to further persecute Amsterdam. WPA views this development as another brazen utilization of the police by the political bosses to harass and intimidate political opponents.

As is now the norm for opposition figures, the police have denied   Mr. Amsterdam station bail and from all indications seem in no hurry to bring him before the court.  WPA therefore deems Mr. Amsterdam a political prisoner whose civil rights are being trampled upon. We therefore call on all Guyanese of goodwill to raise their voices against this clear manifestation of a police state with all the markings of an emerging fascist state. Free speech and the right to due process are fast becoming extinct in Guyana.