Page 2, 2nd November 1979

2nd November 1979

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Page 2, 2nd November 1979 — Priest held after Guyana trial protest
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Priest held after Guyana trial protest

By John Carey
A GUYANESE Jesuit priest, Fr Malcolm Rodrigues SJ, was among 14 people arrested in Guyana last week and charged with "unlawful assembly" after a protest demonstration outside a court room in Georgetown. The demonstrators were taken away in a police van, Later they were released on bail of about £25 each, No date has yet been fixed for a hearing. The demonstration was against the trial of the "referendum five" — five people accused of setting fire to a government building in July.
Many people in Guyana see the trial us being politically motivated, During the original hearing of' the case on July 14 Fr Bernard Darke SJ, a photographer with the Guyanese paper, the "Catholic Standard", was murdered while taking pictures of protestors.
Recently the Guyanese Government under Mr Forbes Burnham has made it number of clumsy attempts to discredit the polticial opposition. Since July there have been more arrests of political opponents as well as disruption by police of public meetings, demonstrations and strikes.
Many people, including several teachers, have been arbitrarily dismissed from their jobs because of their suspected opposition to the Government.
Mr Burnham continues to emphasise the paramountcy of his party, the People's National Con
gress Party, over the state and last week unilaterally extended the life of his Government by a further 12 months. It was first extended for 15 months last year.
The trial of' the "referendum five" concerns a mysterious fire on July I I at a building housing the general secretariat of the ruling party and the Ministry of National Development. Last week Mr Fang Kee Fong, u Georgetown magistrate, granted U prosecution demand for a. summary trial in front of a magistrate. Under a recently passed law the defence no longer has the right to a trial by jury. The trial will continue next January,
Mr Fung initially rejected request by the defence that observers at the hearing should be searched because they included armed members of the House of Israel sect, which was responsible for the murder of Fr Duke. Later he agreed to a witch being carried out, Mr Fang also rejected an attempt by the prosecution to have one of the defence lawyers charged with contempt of court, The lawyer, Mr Richard Small, had suggested that the magistrate was getting his instructions from the Government's political directorate, • The Guyana Human Rights Association has just been formed to monitor and Investigate alleged violations of human rights in Guyana and elsewhere in the Caribbean, The Anglican bishop of Guyana, Bishop Randolph George, is a joint president of the Association.




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