Mickey Bhaichandeen Contributor
Let me get to the point.
There are several human rights violations that occur in the Prison system of Guyana.
The shameful thing is that they go relatively unaddressed and suspects, even when charged with death of a prisoner are promoted to over see more imprisoned human lives.
Today, the Acting Deputy Director of Prisons is Gladwin Samuels.
In 2008 Gladwin Samuels was charged with the death of a prisoner, Edwin Niles who was brutalized so badly he had his arm and forearm broken in four places, was burnt on his back and buttocks and was sodomized by a mop stick.
Niles died within seven days of the brutal beating he received while incarcerated at the Georgetown Prison on a charge of marijuana possession.
The matter went to the High Court with Gladwin Samuels as Defendant but the file from the preliminary inquiry before Acting Chief Magistrate, Melissa Roberts, DISAPPEARED by the time the matter was called for trial at the High Court.
There being no evidence after the mysterious disappearance of Gladwin Samuels’ file, the charges against Gladwin Samuels in the death of Edwin Niles were dropped.
So, Edwin Niles was sent to the grave while Gladwin Samuels was sent back to the prison system where he was promoted in rapid succession and now acts as the Deputy Director of Prisons where hundreds of prisoners are now at his mercy.
Word is, Gladwin Samuels continues to display temper flares and has, reportedly, placed his pistol in the mouth of a prisoner during one of his outbursts.
During the 2013 riots at the Georgetown Prison, Gladwin Samuels was singled out by several inmates for being especially hostile and routinely disrespectful.
And even as several human rights reports cite atrocities in the Guyana prison system,Gladwin Samuels continues to move up in leaps and bounds.
So, I ask President Granger, whom I applaud for pardoning so many who, like Edwin Niles, were imprisoned for petty crimes:
(a) When are you going to remove the cancerous heads from these agencies that have the propensity to violate human rights?
(b) How is Gladwin Samuels even a candidate for promotion when he was found culpable enough in the death of a prisoner to be remanded to High Court?
(c)When are you, Mr. President, going to seriously reform this prison system that you know reeks of violations against prisoners and staff?
No, Mr. President, you didn’t promote Gladwin but I can’t recall hearing you object to him being promoted,either.
Maybe the Ministers of your government who were involved as lawyers during cases involving the battery of prisoners may want to step up and help reform this institution that remains designed to violate.
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2008/archives/09/20/edwin-niles-case/
http://guyanachronicle.com/ex-prison-officers-to-stand-trial-for-manslaughter-at-high-court-april-sessions/
http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/06/07/guyana_5.pdf
http://www.caribnewsdesk.com/wp2016/2015/01/03/guyana-prison-service-promotions-announced/