The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly–Guyana (IDPADA-G) extends our deepest sympathy and solidarity to the family, friends, and community of little Adrianna Younge, whose life was so cruelly taken. Our hearts are broken with yours, and we join the nation in mourning, in outrage, and in an urgent cry for justice.
Adrianna’s death is not an isolated tragedy; it is a brutal reminder of a systemic failure that endangers every child, every family, and every community in Guyana. In this painful moment, we must not only grieve — we must act.
As a community, our call for justice must include a demand for a new police service that prioritizes protecting and serving all citizens equally. We must recognize that the Guyana Police Force is still chained to its 1839 post slavery mission to protect the ruling class, the rich and their property – as they did at Tuschen – while oppressing and trampling on the rights of the poor. They protected the hotel owner. They cannot deliver justice for Adrianna.
Since its founding as the Country Coordinating Mechanism for the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent, IDPADA-G has reported to the UN on the sordid state of the Guyana Police Force – its origin story as a post slavery force of oppression and its record of corruption and extrajudicial killings. The UN Programme of Activities for the Decade draws attention to the legacies of slavery and colonialism in our laws and institutions, and calls for reform of existing laws and institutions, like the Guyana Police Force that are oppressive and corrupt.
Further, in March 2024 the United Nations Human Rights Committee, a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) by States parties reviewed Guyana’s submission on performance on its 2020 recommendations to address human rights issues of major concern. The CCPR once again spoke to the urgent need to address corruption in the Guyana Police Force:
The Committee takes note of the adoption of several laws and regulations by the State party to combat corruption, as well as measures such as the creation of a Special Organized Crime Unit of the Guyana Police Force to have primary responsibility for . . . 11.
The State party should expand its efforts to adopt and implement, efficient, and prompt measures to promote good governance and combat corruption and impunity at all levels of government. In this respect, the Committee urges the State party to:
(a) Adopt concrete measures to address the root causes of corruption as a matter of priority;
(b) Ensure that all corruption cases, including cases of those involved in high level corruption and corruption in police force, are independently and impartially investigated and prosecuted, and that perpetrators, if convicted, are sanctioned with penalties commensurate with the seriousness of the offence, and that victims receive full reparation;
The Government of Guyana has ignored these recommendations. As a result, injustice and corruption deepen and tragedies like Adrianna’s death continue.
In this dark hour, IDPADA-G renews its call for reform of existing legislation and institutions, like the Guyana Police Force, with a view to amending unjust laws and creating institutions that can be trusted and that treat all citizens equally.
To start, we must demand that this Police Force be dismantled and replaced with a Guyana Police SERVICE – – that we can trust, not a police force whose mission, since its founding in 1839, is to protect the rich and powerful and disrespect and oppress the people.
No one can bring Adrianna back, but we can ensure that her death is not in vain by bringing a new day and meaningful change to our nation.
We extend our prayers to her grieving family, her loved ones, and her community. We stand with you, and we will not be silent.
Vincent Alexander
Chair
