Opposition Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan and former Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, were this morning freed of charges of exciting racial hostility by Magistrate Leron Daly.
The charges were filed against the two opposition members back in 2022 during a protest for vendors outside the Georgetown Hospital.
In filing the charges then, the Police claimed that the two intentionally transmitted a video in an attempt to incite racial division. They were not required to plea to the indictable charges, but were granted bail in the sum of $100,000 at the time.
The Opposition had always claimed that the charges were baseless and politically motivated.
In dismissing the charges this morning, Magistrate Daly said the Prosecution failed to provide evidence that the two accused excited or attempted to excite racial hostility against a section of the population or any particular person. She also found insufficient evidence to establish a cyber crime.
The charges stemmed from the then Mayor Ubraj Narine comparing the way the President had handled issues related to the vendors outside the Georgetown Hospital as against how he addressed issues related to sugar workers and speed boat operators. Narine had also questioned why the President was finding it difficult to work with him and whether that was based on him being a Hindu and the President being a muslim. The Mayor’s statements were broadcast on Facebook by Sherod Duncan who was streaming the protest live.
Magistrate Daly said based on the evidence provided in the words that were spoken by Mr. Narine, she found that he was making a comparison of the way two groups of people were treated and there was no hostility. She said she could not find evidence that hostility was excited by the accused.
On the cyber crime charge, the Magistrate said the Prosecution never provided evidence of a computer system being used to transmit an offense under the cyber crime laws and there was also no evidence of any device being examined to determine its use.
Duncan and Singh were represented by Attorney Darren Wade.
After the charges were filed against Duncan and Singh, the Guyana Defence Force moved to dismiss the Mayor as a Reserve Member of the Force over the statements that he made.
The GDF at the time said his services are no longer needed as a Reserve Member of the Force. It’s unclear whether that decision will now be reversed with the charges being dismissed.
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