The government today expressed alarm at the lobbing of a grenade outside of Kaieteur News yesterday and expressed solidarity with the newspaper.
A statement from the government follows:
Government condemns attempted act of terrorism against Kaieteur News
The Coalition Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana (CRG) is alarmed by the act of domestic terrorism which was attempted against Kaieteur News last evening.
The Coalition Government stands resolutely in defense of press freedom in Guyana and condemns, in the strongest possible manner this heinous and dastardly act of cowardice against Kaieteur News. The Coalition Government is thankful, as are all right thinking Guyanese, that no lives or limbs were lost and there was no damage to property.
The government stands in solidarity with Kaieteur News and the entire media fraternity that has been shaken by this attempted attack. This attack must strengthen our resolve as a nation that evil, in all its forms and incarnations, must not be allowed to prevail and must be relentlessly and uncompromisingly conquered.
We do not believe that the dropping of a grenade, even if a fake device, alongside a newspaper publisher’s vehicle could be considered a joke or a hoax. It was grave and an undisputed act of terror designed to intimidate, harm and create fear.
The Coalition Government commits its full support to the Guyana Police Force as it investigates this sickening attempted act of terrorism. The government looks forward to the perpetrators and possible intellectual authors being identified, pursued, arrested and placed before the court and being dealt with to the full extent of the law.
Kaieteur News is one of Guyana’s leading independent media organizations that has a proud and zealously guarded reputation for fearlessness in reporting government excesses, corruption and abuse of power, particularly under the previous administration. Most recently the newspaper has been at the forefront of aggressively and relentlessly reporting on the findings of the many audits of state agencies, the revelations that have oftentimes been explosive.
This attack comes against the background that Kaieteur News, its staff and its owner have been subject to relentless assault under the previous regime.
It is to be recalled that under the previous administration:
- five Kaieteur News pressmen – Eion Wegman, Richard Stuart, Mark Maikoo, Shazim Mohamed and Chetram Persaud – were heartlessly slaughtered in August 2006 in what was the worst attack on the media in the history of this nation.
- Kaieteur News’ leading columnist had faeces thrown at him in a case which recently had a major breakthrough with regard to identifying the long suspected perpetrators and intellectual authors.
- the Kaieteur News owner was targeted by the tax authorities, who, it was revealed, were under political direction to so do.
- vehicles attached to government officials were seen casing or scoping and videotaping the Kaieteur News premises.
- government advertisements were banned from Kaieteur News (and Stabroek News)
- a senior government official was heard on an audio recording issuing threats of a violent and deadly attack on Kaieteur News.
This nation has emerged from those dark days of oppressive press intimidation and attacks. We must never permit dark and evil forces to cause us to regress.