Activists mull constitutional case against police arrest at MV Barima vigil

What this source establishes

Demerara Waves gives the fullest account in this corpus of the civil-liberties dimension of the disaster, in the arrested activists' own words. Five women picketing at the periphery of the government's Kingston Seawall vigil, holding signs demanding Edghill's resignation and prosecution, were told they had no permission to protest and possessed illegal signs; the women say police could not identify which law was being broken. They allege Sherlina Nageer was forcibly assaulted and dragged to the Brickdam station. Charges were dropped and an apology offered the next day, which Nageer describes as insincere because it was conditioned on whether they thought they deserved one.

Key claims

• Civil society activists arrested Wednesday night while picketing at a government-organised vigil at Kingston Seawall are contemplating a constitutional case against the State.
• Sherlina Nageer, Salima Bacchus-Hinds, Susan Collymore, Romola Lucas and Joy Marcus issued a joint statement citing Article 147 of the Constitution.
• Nageer said a senior police officer of Division Region 4 A offered an 'insincere' apology conditional on 'if you think you deserve an apology'.
• Police dropped all charges and offered an apology the day after the arrest and detention.
• The women held signs calling for the resignation and prosecution of public works minister Juan Edghill, saying the tragedy was 'completely preventable'.
• Police told the women they did not receive 'permission to protest' and that they were in possession of 'illegal signs'.
• The women said police forcibly assaulted and dragged Sherlina Nageer to the Brickdam police station currently located within the Eve Leary compound.
• Ms Lucas, Ms Bacchus-Hinds and Ms Nageer were arrested; they were released on their own recognisance after about an hour.
• They demanded a total revamp of public transportation systems on both the coast and interior.
• A statement in support of a complaint to the GPF's Office of Professional Responsibility would be dispatched to that body.

Quotations

• “The fact that they arrested us last night so even though there were no actual charges and they apologised... what's to stop them from doing that again in the future to us, to other peaceful picketers?”— Sherlina Nageer, activist
• “no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his or her freedom of assembly, association and freedom to demonstrate peacefully”— joint statement citing Article 147 of the Constitution of Guyana
• “The assault and rights violation are like real, actual serious things and saying you're 'sorry and just get out of my office', to me the scale is not balanced”— Sherlina Nageer, activist
• “We asked the officers to clarify which law we were breaking; they were unable to do so.”— joint statement of the five activists
• “Persons must not suffer and die because they are unable to afford a plane ticket, because systems lack oversight, protocols are ignored, stellings not built, and more modern ferries not commissioned in a timely manner.”— joint statement of the five activists

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