The Government of Guyana has signaled its intention to go after “social media influencers” for what it considers to be irresponsible comments against Government officials and private individuals on social media.

At a Freedom House press conference today, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, said persons who make comments on social media will be held responsible for those comments.

He said private citizens should also take action against those “influencers” who use the social media platforms to attack them.

“So, I hope that the social media influencers who are operating under the guise that they are not in our jurisdiction and they feel safe abroad, safe from the reach of our law, that they are taking note too and I hope that anyone that the malign, sue them now and hire somebody abroad to serve them notice or the summon and make sure they video it like they did Rickford Burke and then proceed in Court,” Jagdeo urged.

The Guyana Police Force recently dispatched one of its officers to the United States to serve a Court summons on political activist Rickford Burke, who has been openly critical of the Guyana Government. Burke, who has been living in the US for more than 25 years, has dismissed the charges against him.

Burke has said he was never served with the summons and indicated that the Guyana Police Force has no jurisdiction in the United States to serve him with any Court document.

Mr. Jagdeo said it cannot be business as usual when persons think they can say whatever about the government or citizens and have a free pass. He said persons ought to be held responsible for their utterances on social media.

“They live abroad, they have nothing good to say about country, they sow divisions, discord every single day by their comments. They use social media as a weapon against the government and also private citizens and as a means of extorting people, and clearly this cant be free speech, this can’t be protected speech, this is criminality,” Jagdeo said.

He said if persons in Guyana, say some of the things, those overseas Guyanese are saying, they have to face the law, and similarly, those overseas will also have to face the law. 

“So, I am so pleased that we could actually start holding people accountable for what they say. People can say whatever they wish. But if its seditious, you have to face the court,” Mr. Jagdeo pointed out. 

Since taking office, the Government has filed a number of cyber crime cases against various persons for statements on social media.

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