Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was prevented from participating in Wednesday’s sitting of the National Assembly after prison authorities rejected his lawyers’ application for him to join the proceedings virtually, prompting Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) General Secretary Lincoln Lewis to criticse the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, arguing that it is using the machinery of the State to deny political opponents their constitutional and parliamentary rights.
Lewis is demanding that Mohamed be allowed to participate and speak in the National Assembly, insisting that his detention should not be used to silence an elected representative or deprive the electorate of its parliamentary voice.
Speaking to Village Voice News, Lewis said the denial was not simply an administrative matter but raised fundamental questions about democracy, constitutional rights and the rule of law. He warned that the treatment of Mohamed should concern all Guyanese, particularly workers and ordinary citizens.
Lewis challenged the separation of the police, courts and Executive when decisions affecting political opponents are being considered, arguing that the Government must be held accountable for the actions of state institutions.
“There is nothing that the police force does that involves a political objective of this country, that the government itself, the executive of this government, is not part and parcel of making decisions, what to do.”
Lewis demands that Mohamed be allowed to speak
Lewis’s central demand is that Mohamed be given the opportunity to discharge his responsibilities as Leader of the Opposition, including addressing the National Assembly during Wednesday’s sitting.
He questioned the decision to keep Mohamed on remand, arguing that the offence with which the Opposition Leader has been charged is bailable and that conditions could be imposed to secure his attendance at court.
He specifically pointed out that Mohamed is already on bail in other criminal proceedings and has surrendered his passport and travel documents to the authorities. Lewis argued that these measures restrict Mohamed’s ability to leave the jurisdiction and provide safeguards to ensure that he returns to court.
The GTUC General Secretary also maintained that Mohamed has consistently attended court when required in his other matters, questioning why similar bail arrangements could not be considered in the present case.
“You have the man’s passport. You have all his travel documents. He cannot travel. You know that.. because there are cases that he charged for that he turns up to court every time the date has been set.”
Lewis argued that the refusal of bail, followed by the failure to facilitate Mohamed’s participation in Parliament, must be considered together.
“To do otherwise is to decide that your intention is not to allow this man participate in the National Assembly, as I said last week. That’s your intention.”
He further alleged that systems were being put in place to deny Mohamed his rights and prevent him from participating in parliamentary activities.
Lewis also expressed grave concerns about Mohamed’s safety in custody, claiming he had been placed on remand “by all those who will want to see him die”. That allegation has not been established as fact.
Prison authorities reject lawyers’ Zoom application
Earlier today, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) parliamentarian, Natasha Singh informed Village Voice News that all MPs had received an email containing a link for virtual participation, as Parliament continues to operate under a hybrid arrangement. MPs seeking to join remotely, however, must obtain the Speaker’s permission.
Although Mohamed received the email, the WIN representative said he had no telephone, computer, radio, television or other communication equipment in his prison cell through which he could access the proceedings.
His lawyers therefore applied to the prison authorities for arrangements to allow him to participate through Zoom. That application was denied.
The denial effectively prevented the Opposition Leader from using the virtual participation option available under Parliament’s hybrid arrangements.
The GTUC had previously called on the Guyana Prison Service, Judiciary, Executive and Legislature to facilitate Mohamed’s attendance, either physically or virtually. The union also appealed to Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs to make the necessary arrangements.
Background to Mohamed’s detention
Mohamed has been on remand at Lusignan Prison since October 30, when Magistrate Abigail Gibbs refused bail to him and Police Constable Ryan Greene at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Court.
They were jointly charged under Section 9 of the Cybercrime Act 2018 in connection with the alleged unauthorised access to and disclosure of electronic data from the Guyana Police Force’s surveillance system.
The charge relates to footage of the October 12 incident outside the Kitty residence of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine. Police allege that Greene accessed Safe City surveillance recordings and supplied them to Mohamed in exchange for G$800,000. Mohamed subsequently displayed portions of the footage publicly, maintaining that it supported his account of the confrontation.
Constable Ashton Chappelle was also charged in connection with the alleged extraction and transfer of the recordings. The three men were remanded until November 24. None has been convicted, and the allegations remain before the courts.
Mohamed’s lawyers have challenged the refusal of bail in the High Court through proceedings filed by his mother, Bonita Mohamed. Further proceedings were scheduled for November 12, with the substantive judicial review listed for November 23.
A question beyond party politics
Lewis’ intervention builds on earlier GTUC concerns that Mohamed’s detention could undermine his ability to perform his parliamentary responsibilities. WIN holds 16 of the 29 opposition seats in the 65-member National Assembly.
The Congress has invoked Article 155(1) of the Constitution in arguing that pre-trial detention should not automatically prevent an elected parliamentarian from exercising his responsibilities.
Lewis maintains that the cumulative effect warrants public scrutiny. His demand is that Mohamed be allowed to speak in Parliament and represent the people who elected him, rather than have his detention prevent him from exercising those responsibilities.
For the GTUC General Secretary, this is not simply a dispute involving Mohamed or WIN. It is a question of whether the rights of citizens and elected representatives are protected regardless of their political affiliation.
Lewis is urging workers and ordinary Guyanese to recognise the wider implications, warning that the defence of democracy and the rule of law cannot be selective. The rights of political opponents must be protected just as those of Government supporters, and state authority must remain subject to constitutional safeguards.
