Guyana Human Rights Association Slams Police and Government Over Adriana Young Case
By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has issued a scathing condemnation of the Guyana Police Force and elements of the government over what it calls a deeply troubling mishandling of the investigation into the death of 11-year-old Adriana Young.
In a strongly worded statement, the GHRA asserted that the national unrest ignited by Adriana’s death stems not only from the tragedy itself, but from what it called “a deepening disbelief” in the official accounts presented by law enforcement and government officials.
“The dominant theme driving national unrest is not merely the tragic nature of the death itself, but the deepening disbelief in statements and actions issued by the Guyana Police Force and government officials. This trust vacuum has been filled by social media narratives with fluctuating levels of credibility,” the GHRA stated.
The **GHRA emphasized the right of Adriana’s family — and, by extension, the Guyanese public — to a transparent, credible, and impartial investigation. It called for any technical findings from international experts to be directly shared with the public, not mediated through government-controlled channels.
This comes after President Irfaan Ali confirmed that his administration will not request assistance from the United States’ FBI or Scotland Yard, saying he has already fulfilled his responsibilities by bringing in independent pathologists and a Canadian homicide investigator.
“Everything I’ve committed to in the case, I’ve done… The political handlers are now at work aggressively. Let them deal with what they want to do,” Ali said, hinting that the case has now taken on political overtones.
But the GHRA contends that limiting responses to “known facts” offers little assurance to the public and raises further questions about evasive conduct, especially regarding the initial misleading statements, restricted access to CCTV footage, and delayed or obscured autopsy results.
“This pattern raises questions about political motives. With national elections on the horizon, Afro-Guyanese street unrest inevitably triggers a return to party loyalty among elements of the ruling party’s traditional support base,” the release read.
The Association cautioned against exploiting the unrest for political gain but stressed that government incompetence and poor communication fuel dangerous public speculation.
It also drew parallels to the 2020 West Coast Berbice murders of the Henry boys and Haresh Singh, where the Ministry of Home Affairs failed to cooperate with international forensic experts fully invited to assist — an outcome the GHRA warns must not be repeated in Adriana Young’s case.
The GHRA insists that without complete transparency, the government and the Guyana Police Force risk eroding public trust in state institutions, especially on matters involving the safety of children.
