‘A Citizen Who Enters Custody Must Leave Alive’: PNCR/APNU Demands Independent Probe Into Gavin Douglas’s Custodial Death, Warns Guyana Becoming a ‘Pariah State’

By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The People’s National Congress Reform / A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR/APNU) has condemned the custodial death of 32-year-old labourer Gavin Kennard Douglas at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station, demanding an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation free from internal police interference.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the main parliamentary opposition expressed deep alarm over the medical findings of the post-mortem examination, which confirmed that Douglas died from an acute brain haemorrhage caused by blunt force trauma alongside other visible physical injuries.

The coalition asserted that a citizen taken into state custody must leave alive and unharmed, declaring that the state bears a non-negotiable constitutional duty to safeguard the physical integrity of every individual detained by law enforcement.

The opposition warned that under the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, fatal encounters with police, excessive force, and custodial abuse are becoming systemic features of the national security landscape, eroding institutional accountability and public trust.

Demands for an Independent Investigation: Secure All Station Logs and CCTV

Rejecting routine internal administrative reviews, the PNCR/APNU called for immediate evidence-preservation protocols to prevent tampering or institutional cover-ups:

• Securing Digital and Physical Evidence: The party demanded that all station closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings, duty diaries, lockup registers, and medical reports from the West Demerara Regional Hospital be seized and secured immediately.
• External and Impartial Oversight: The coalition insisted that the probe cannot be left solely to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) or its internal Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), calling for an independent body to oversee the gathering of evidence to guarantee criminal culpability is pursued without bias.
• Full Criminal Liability: The PNCR/APNU stated that any rank or commanding officer implicated in deploying unlawful or excessive physical force must face the full force of the law, including capital indictments where justified by pathology findings.

“A citizen who enters police custody must leave alive and unharmed. The State has a fundamental responsibility to protect every individual placed in its care… All CCTV footage, station records, medical reports and other relevant evidence must be secured immediately. The investigation must be free from police interference, and anyone found responsible for wrongdoing must face the full force of the law.” — PNCR/APNU Statement

‘Guyana Becoming a Pariah State’: Accountability Deficit

The opposition coalition delivered a sharp indictment of the administration’s national security record, arguing that the recurring loss of life at the hands of state agents undermines Guyana’s democratic standing:

• Pattern of Law Enforcement Abuses: The PNCR/APNU argued that Douglas’s death is not an isolated mishap, but part of a persistent pattern of alleged police brutality and state oppression that has intensified under the current executive.
• Erosion of Public Confidence: The party warned that the absence of genuine accountability is turning Guyana into a “pariah state” where lawlessness is normalized and citizens view police stations with fear rather than protection.
• Ministerial Accountability: The coalition directly challenged Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond and the PPP/C government to move beyond routine public relations assurances of ongoing probes, demanding direct accountability for ensuring law enforcement operates strictly within statutory limits.

“Guyana is slowly becoming a pariah state where lawlessness is becoming the new norm, accountability is increasingly absent, and citizens are losing confidence in the very institutions established to protect them… The Government cannot continue to offer assurances of investigations while families are left grieving and those responsible for abuses of authority escape accountability.”

A National Call to Action Against Police Brutality

Concluding its statement, the PNCR/APNU appealed to civic organizations, human rights advocates, and Guyanese across all racial, political, and religious backgrounds to break their silence:

• Collective Resistance: The opposition urged citizens to actively speak out against state-sanctioned abuses, warning that public indifference only emboldens rogue elements within the security sector.
• Fundamental Rights Over Privileges: The coalition affirmed that the right to life, human dignity, and equal protection under the law are non-negotiable constitutional rights that must never be treated as dispensable state privileges.

The coalition’s intervention adds significant political pressure to the ongoing detention of the four Vreed-en-Hoop police ranks currently held at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) at Eve Leary, as the family, led by attorney Dr. Dexter Todd, continues to demand formal criminal charges.