GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The nation remains rattled by the horrifying assault of a 20-year-old woman at Raghoo’s Sports Bar, and the reaction from political and civil society has been swift and unforgiving.
In separate statements issued over the weekend, the APNU Coalition and the Forward Guyana Movement condemned the incident and called for the full weight of the law to be brought down on all who were involved, from the alleged rapists to the silent bystanders.
The APNU Coalition expressed “grave concern” over the viral footage that captured the public sexual abuse of the young woman, now confirmed to be of Amerindian descent.
While noting that police investigations are underway, APNU urged the Guyana Police Force to conduct a thorough and unrelenting probe and to act decisively to stop the continued circulation of the disturbing video.
“We call on all Guyanese to treat this with dignity,” the party said, “and refrain from sharing such videos… to safeguard our children and the fabric of our society.”
The Forward Guyana Movement took an even more forceful tone, calling the act a “sickening crime” committed against a drugged or unconscious woman while patrons of the bar stood by, many recording the attack instead of intervening. The group did not mince words, condemning what it called a “gleeful” crowd and accusing them of being complicit in the crime.
“This was not just a rape,” their statement read. “This was the public defilement of a fellow human being in full view of those who should have helped her. They did nothing.”
Forward Guyana went further to question the role of the bar’s management and staff, accusing them of negligence at best, and complicity at worst. “The proprietor and staff cannot claim ignorance. Their failure to act made them part of the crime,” the group stated.
Calling the incident a symptom of a deeper societal decay, Forward Guyana warned that the silence and inaction seen that night represent a broader cultural failure to protect women, girls, and vulnerable persons.
“This is a stain on the name and reputation of our country,” the group declared. Both APNU and Forward Guyana urged all responsible citizens to speak out, reject the normalization of gender-based violence, and demand full legal consequences for every person involve, those who assaulted, those who recorded, and those who watched in silence.
Meanwhile, the young woman at the center of this case has bravely come forward, telling police she was drugged and raped by three men. Multiple arrests have already been made, but public pressure continues to mount for justice, not just for the victim, but for a nation shaken by its own reflection.
