Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) Leader and lone Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir has issued a stark warning over the remand of Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, questioning the treatment he is receiving at Lusignan Prison and accusing the authorities of allowing the legal and penal systems to become instruments of harassment and intimidation.
Walton-Desir said the reported placement of Mohamed in solitary confinement, despite the nature of the charge against him, raises troubling questions about the treatment of a constitutional office-holder and the broader state of justice in Guyana.
She made the remarks on Monday outside the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where extradition proceedings involving Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, were being heard.
Her comments followed an application seeking to revoke Mohamed’s existing bail, which the magistrate declined to grant. However, Mohamed remains in custody after being remanded on a separate charge.
Walton-Desir said she went to the Lusignan Prison on Sunday after being informed that Mohamed would appear remotely. As a member of the political opposition, she said she considered it important to see for herself how he was doing under the circumstances. She didn’t get to see him.
But what she found particularly troubling were conflicting reports about his treatment in prison, including his claim that he was being held in solitary confinement.
“The problem that I have is, why would you put a man in solitary confinement for a bailable offence? It makes no sense. No sense at all,” she declared.
The FGM leader was emphatic that defending Mohamed’s rights should not be confused with endorsing his conduct or dismissing the allegations against him. She argued that the fundamental principles of justice must apply regardless of an individual’s political standing, personal reputation or the nature of the accusations.
“Standing up for the fact that the legal system is being used and the penal system is being used to break and harass people doesn’t necessarily mean that you support everything that that individual does. Two things could be true at the same time.”
She said the extradition proceedings should be allowed to run their course without what she described as unnecessary drama, political theatrics and conduct that could be perceived as deliberate harassment.
Walton-Desir’s concerns extended beyond Mohamed’s individual circumstances. She warned that the implications of what is unfolding could reach far beyond the Opposition Leader, placing the rights and freedoms of ordinary Guyanese at risk.
In a particularly forceful appeal, she cautioned citizens against remaining silent simply because they disagree with Mohamed or believe the allegations against him warrant prosecution.
“Then what come next. Tomorrow it will be Sherod, it will be me. And so we have a duty as a people to stand up and face this.”
She argued that Guyanese must understand that the erosion of another person’s rights creates a dangerous precedent that could eventually affect anyone, regardless of political affiliation.
“When you wink at wickedness, when it comes to bite you in the ass, you have no control over how it bites you.”
Walton-Desir also questioned the credibility of institutions expected to uphold the law, particularly where public confidence in the impartiality of investigations and the administration of justice has been undermined.
Referencing concerns surrounding the circumstances involving death of Gavin Douglas who was in police custody, she challenged the expectation that citizens should automatically trust investigations conducted by institutions whose credibility is already being questioned.
She said the government appeared not to appreciate the seriousness of the growing distrust among citizens, warning that a justice system that loses public confidence threatens the very foundations of law and order.
“If your citizens don’t trust the system, you have a problem. You have a serious problem, and it’s going to lead to a breakdown of law and order.”
Her warning came against the backdrop of mounting political tensions surrounding Mohamed’s incarceration and questions about the treatment of opposition figures and citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
Walton-Desir ended with a blunt assessment of the direction in which the country is heading, warning that the authorities are playing with a dangerous situation.
“They are courting danger. They are courting danger.”
Her intervention adds to growing public scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding Mohamed’s incarceration and raises a broader question for Guyana: whether the institutions entrusted with protecting citizens’ rights can command public confidence when their impartiality is increasingly being challenged.
