April 23, 2025<\/p>\n
Georgetown, Guyana
\nFor immediate release to all media houses<\/p>\n
PRESS RELEASE<\/strong> In the wake of the recent police killings of Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fogenay in Linden, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is calling on all parties in the National Assembly to rise above politics and act urgently to establish an Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA). This is not merely a matter of policy\u2014it is a matter of human life, justice, and trust in our democracy.<\/p>\n These young men\u2014sons of Linden\u2014are the latest in a painful history of Guyanese lives lost at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. Their deaths echo the tragedy of 2012, when three Lindeners were shot dead by police during protests. More than a decade later, that recommendation remains unimplemented. The cost of inaction is measured in lives lost and trust shattered.<\/p>\n The AFC today proposes a resolution to be laid in the National Assembly on April 25, 2025, calling for the immediate establishment of the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA)\u2014a civilian-led body with full powers to investigate police misconduct and recommend criminal or disciplinary action.<\/p>\n This is not an attack on the police. It is a commitment to justice and accountability\u2014for victims, for families, and for the many honourable officers who serve with integrity and deserve public trust.<\/p>\n Nigel Hughes, Leader of the AFC and candidate for President, has long championed institutional reform and the protection of constitutional rights. The IPOA proposal builds on his decades of work in the legal and justice sectors. As Hughes has stated: The AFC\u2019s resolution outlines a clear framework:<\/p>\n \u2022 A 12-member independent authority, appointed by Parliament, with no current or former law enforcement officers. This resolution is a test of our nation\u2019s conscience. Guyanese citizens\u2014urban and rural, young and old, across all communities\u2014are asking a simple question: Who will stand for justice?<\/p>\n The AFC calls on every Member of Parliament, regardless of affiliation, to stand with the people and vote to establish the IPOA. Let us show that Guyana can be fair, free, and united in our pursuit of justice.<\/p>\n Better Must Come \u2013 United Guyana, Fair and Free.<\/p>\n Issued by: End. April 23, 2025 Georgetown, Guyana For immediate release to all media houses PRESS RELEASE AFC Demands Justice and Accountability: Independent Police Oversight Authority Must Be Established Now In the wake of the recent police killings of Ronaldo Peters and Keon Fogenay in Linden, the Alliance For Change (AFC) is calling on all parties in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latestnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afcguyana.com\/afcnew\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAFC Demands Justice and Accountability: Independent Police Oversight Authority Must Be Established Now<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA Commission of Inquiry into those killings made a clear recommendation:
\n\u201cThe police must be held accountable\u2026 abuses should be independently investigated in a professional way\u2026 such an authority must have the necessary powers and resources to be effective lest citizens demonstrate no confidence in it.\u201d<\/em>
\n(COI Report, 2012 \u2013 Paragraph 185)<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIf there is no trust in justice, there is no justice at all. And if there is no accountability in power, power becomes abuse.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Full investigative powers, including subpoena authority and access to all relevant police evidence and body-camera footage.
\n\u2022 Mandated transparency, with regular public reporting and community engagement.
\n\u2022 Direct funding via the National Assembly to ensure independence from political or police control.<\/p>\n
\nAlliance For Change
\nGeorgetown, Guyana
\nApril 23, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"