A number of political parties and civil society actors today dismissed a report from President Irfaan Ali that 11-year-old Adriana Younge did not die from “forceful drowning” as they demanded an international probe into her death.

Exactly one week ago, Adriana went missing during a family outing at the Double Day Hotel at Tuschen on the East Bank of Essequibo. She was found dead in the hotel’s pool the following day, although several searches were carried out of the pool.

An autopsy conducted by three international pathologists found that the 11-year-old died as a result of drowning. On Monday night, President Ali said he received a report from the Police that the pathologists also “ruled out theories of forceful drowning or any other means of killings.”

The family of Adriana Younge have stated that the pathologists made no such findings known to them or their Attorney.

At a joint press conference this afternoon at the burnt out hotel site in Tuschen, Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes said President Ali is no pathologist and should not be making such pronouncements.

Mr. Hughes said a preliminary report from the family’s lawyer Darren Wade, who spoke directly to the pathologists, only give the cause of death as drowning.

“The finding of drowning does not rule out it being a homicide, which is a unlawful killing. One of the obvious issues that arises as a result of drowning as a cause of action is that the first issue is, where did the drowning take place? The only way we can begin to narrow the locations for drowning would be a result of the toxicology report. And just to give you an obvious example, if the water in the pool has chlorine, and any water that was found in her lungs or elsewhere in her body is not consistent with chlorine, it reduces significantly the possibility that she drowned in the pool. So I think it’s completely premature in the absence of a toxicology report,” Hughes told reporters.

He reminded also that the official pathology report has not been published.

Hughes said it is unfortunate that in the absence of the official report, the President would suggest to the nation that Adriana was not murdered in an attempt to close the case.

“With the greatest respect to the president, it is unfortunate that he would make an experts call, that is, rule out forced drowning when we have not had the benefit of seeing the professional report of any of the pathologists. So, I beg to differ with the President,” Hughes said.

He said the inference by the President has only served to further erode the public’s confidence in the Guyana Police Force.

At the time, Mr. Hughes was backed by representatives of the Alliance For Change (AFC), the Assembly For Liberty and Prosperity (ALP), Vigilant For a New Guyana (V-PAC), The People’s Movement (TPM), Opposition MPs Annette Ferguson and Dawn Hastings-Williams along with some civil society members.

Businessman Dr. Terrence Campbell said as a united force, the group is not only demanding that an international investigation be launched into the death of Adriana, but also for the removal of the Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken.

“We are calling for an impartial investigation led, managed and conducted by a credible international law enforcement agency with the appropriate forensic capacity under the constitutional auspices of the Guyana Police Force – Scotland Yard, RCMP, or the FBI. The immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police pending the outcome of investigations. The establishment of an Independent Civilian Oversight Authority to review and investigate allegations of misconduct within the Guyana Police Force,” Dr. Campbell said.

Further, condemning the excessive use of force against protesters, the stoking of racial intolerance and the racial profiling of Guyanese citizens, Campbell said the unrest that followed Adriana’s death is not just about a single tragic loss but the injustice faced by citizens daily, and a system that suppresses the poor and treats the working-class youth as disposable.

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