propaganda press! freedom in Guyana

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AFP): Guyana’s military said Friday they were ready to investigate allegations that soldiers were tortured by their superior officers after an AK-47 assault rifle disappeared at a barracks.
“For the loss of the AK-47 rifle, several persons were interrogated and we are not aware of any act of physical abuse during the interrogation process, but we remain committed to investigating any such act,” Acting Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Lovell told AFP.

One soldier said that when he was interrogated by officers on December 7, a week after the rifle disappeared, he was strapped down and beaten, given electric shocks, suffocated, and had his groin pepper-sprayed.

Several soldiers and a high-ranking senior officer confirmed that the soldier responsible for the arsenal at Camp Ayanganna Headquarters in Georgetown at the time of the AK-47’s disappearance had his ribs broken by army investigators.

Since the disappearance, military sources said, the entire command structure of the unit has been relieved of their duties to facilitate the investigations, and disciplinary proceedings have started against officers and soldiers.

A former investigator, who spoke to AFP on condition of strict anonymity, said soldiers are usually mistreated during investigations and the tactics included submerging them in the Demerara River, one of Guyana’s main waterways.