6 5 ll 1 7 US Department of State Case No Doc No C06511173 Date 03 14 2018 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE RELEASE IN FULL PAGE 01 GEORGE 01251 2323562 ACTION L-03 INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ADS-00 DOT-02 OMB-01 PM os SP-02 88-15 REVIEW AUTHORITY Richard Zorn TRSE-OO 1061 Senior Reviewer 2401062 63 2018072 MAR 80 FM AMEIVIBASSY GEORGETOWN TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1985 INFO AMEMBBASSY BRIDGETOWN AMEMBASSY KINGSTON AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN LIMITED OFFICIAL USE GEORGETOWN 1251 ED 12065 NA TAGS PINT PORG SHUM GY SUBJ STUDY OF TRIAL OBSERVERS REF STATE 51659 1 UNTIL RECENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY FEW TRIALS IN INDEPENDENT GUYANA WHICH COULD FAIRLY BE CALLED POLITICAL PROBABLY THE MOST TRIAL IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS WHICH HAD IMPORTANT POLITICAL TONES WAS THE TRIAL OF ARNOLD RAMPERSAUD FOR THE ALLEGED MURDER OF A POLICEMAN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SENT AN OBSERVER TO THE THIRD TRIAL OF RAMPERSAUD THE TWO PREVIOUS JURIES HAD BEEN UNABLE TO REACH A VERDICT IN LATE 1977 WHEN RAMPERSAUD WAS ACQUITTED DETAILS OF THE RAMPERSAUD CASE ARE INCLUDED IN THE AI 1977 AND 1978 ANNUAL REPORTS 2 THERE ARE CURRENTLY SEVERAL CASES BEFORE THE COURTS WHICH HAVE NOT YET COME TO TRIAL WHICH GROUPS LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 GEORGE 01251 232356Z IN OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT CONSIDER POLITICAL THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE IS THAT OF DR WALTER RODNEY DR RUPERT ROOPNARINE AND DR OMAWALE LEADING MEMBERS OFLTHE OPPOSITION WORKING PEOPLES ALLIANCE WPA WHO ARE CHARGED BY THE GOVERNMENT WITH CRIMINAL ARSON IN THE BURNING OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON JULY 11 1979 THE DEFENDANTS CURRENTLY ARE FIGHTING TO HAVE THEIR CASE TRIED BY A JURY IN THE HIGH COURT WHEREAS THE PROSECUTION HAS DEMANDED A SUMMARY TRIAL BEFORE A UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No 5063 Doc No Date 03 14 2018 6 5 7 US Department of State Case No Doc No C06511173 Date 03 14 2018 MAGISTRATE A DECISION ON THAT QUESTION IS I SHORTLY MEMBERS OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION INTERESTED IN THE CASE PRIVATELY HAVE TOLD EMBASSY GEORGETOWN OFFICERS THAT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WOULD BE REQUESTED TO SEND AN OBSERVER WHEN THE CASE COMES TO TRIAL 3 OTHER POTENTIAL POLITICAL TRIALS INCLUDE THAT OF KWAME APATA ANOTHER WPA MEMBER WHOSE HOUSE WAS SEARCHED BY POLICE AT THE TIME OF THE JULY FIRE NOTED ABOVE APATA WAS CHARGED WITH THE ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF A REVOLVER AND SIX ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION HIS FIRST TRIAL WAS ANNULLED ON LEGAL GOUNDS AND A SECOND TRIAL HAS JUST BEGUN ANOTHER WPA SYMPATHIZER WHOSE HOME WAS SEARCHED IN JULY AND AND WHO WAS ACCOUSED OF ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY WAS a 4 TWO WPA ACTIVISTS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN RECENT MONTHS IN CONFRONTATION WITH THE POLICE WHO MAINTAIN THAT THE WPA MEMBERS EITHER THREATENED POLICE OFFICERS OR RESISTED ARREST THE WPA ALLEGES THAT POLICE BEING USED BY THE AUTHORITIES AS A MATTER LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 GEORGE 01251 2323562 OF POLICY TO ELIMINATE OPPONENTS AGAINST WHOM THE AUTHORITIES HAD NO REAL CASE 5 INSOFAR AS EMBASSY GEORGETOWN IS AWARE THERE HAVE BEEN NO INSTANCES IN WHICH LOCAL OR MFOREIGN OBSERVERS HAVE BEEN DENIED ACCESS TO TRIALS AS OBSERVERS NOR DOES IT SEEM LIKELY THAT THE MENT WILL DENY THE ACCESS OF OBSERVERS TO CASES CURRENTLY IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN GUYANA HAS BEEN USED TO HARASS OPPONENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT BY MAKING THEM SEEK LEGAL READRESS FOR THE SEIZURE BY IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES OF PASSPORTS TO RESPOND TO NEWLY DISCOVERED CHARGES OF TAX VIOLATIONS ETC BUT THERE-DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN ABRIDGEMENTS ON THE DEFENDANTS RIGHT TO A PUBLIC TRIAL AS GUARANTEED BY THE CONSUTITUTION 6 ARTICLE 144 9 AND 10 OF THE NEW GUYANESE CONSTITUTION WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE PROMULGATED SHORTLY DEALS WITH THE RIGHT TO A PUBLIC TRIAL THE ATRICLE WAS TAKEN VERBATIM FROM THE CURRENT CONSTITUTION THE ARTICLE STATES BEGIN QUOTE 9 EXECPT WITH THE AGREEMENT OF ALL THE PARTIES THERETO ALL PROCEEDINGS OF EVERY COURT AND PROCEEDING FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE EXISTENCE OR EXTENT OF ANY CIVIL RIGHT OR OBLIGATION I BEFORE ANY TRIBUNAL INCLUDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No Doc No C06511173 Date 03 14 2018 w _mU Cm Umnmn sma 9n mnm m Zo $831308 Con 20 083 4 3w Um mn ow mgm 4 1m Om AEWCZEJ mI rr mm ImEu Z uucmEO 20 2 20 mI rr 4 1m 0093 ON 04 1mm d wczk mmog Him umOOmeZQm 04 1mm 4 1m 20 dim m rm r m 00 34 O _ Imm AWECZEH SEEMU 55an $392 A 35m 3 03m 382% Lcmjom OZ 2 mumOOmeZOm 0m 2 Om ucwEO 4 1m mrmu mm OW m_OI _ mmZ m mm Om O_u VESPHW E mm O_u 0020mmsz _2 Om ewv wm mm Om mmDEmmU MO 00 _2 lm O_u Om OmUmm memAM cwm czorpmmimo Cm Umvmnama 9n m m m 08 20 Con 20 Oomm d Um m This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu