TWO MEN CHARGED FOR INCITING TERRORISM AND THREATS AGAINST PRESIDENT IN TIKTOK VIDEOS
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
DIAMOND, GUYANA — A 24-year-old man from the East Bank of Demerara is behind bars after appearing before the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrate’s Court on serious cybercrime charges.
Emmanuel Rogers, of New Prospect Housing Scheme, was charged on Wednesday under Sections 181C and 181D of the Cyber Crime Act for:
- Using a computer system to incite a criminal offense against the President and
- Inciting a terrorist act.
According to police, Rogers was arrested by CID ranks after posting a TikTok video in which he allegedly encouraged viewers to kill President Irfaan Ali and launch attacks on national institutions such as police stations, hospitals, and even the Parliament building. He was not required to plead and was remanded to prison until May 23, 2025.
In a separate but similar case, 33-year-old Hasrell Ashby, a security guard from El Dorado Village, West Coast Berbice, was also charged for inciting terrorism. He allegedly used TikTok to call for the burning of multiple areas, including Saffon Street, WDAD, Paradise, and El Dorado, between Monday and Tuesday. Ashby pleaded not guilty during his Georgetown Magistrates’ Court appearance but was also remanded until May 23.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall, speaking on his weekly program Issues in the News, warned of the legal consequences for such incitement:
“Under the law, a terrorist act that results in death attracts the death penalty and a $1.5 million fine. If no death occurs, the punishment is still severe—at least $500,000 in fines and 10 to 15 years in prison.”
Nandlall added that the law also punishes anyone who conspires, advises, or encourages others to commit acts of terror, whether or not the acts are carried out.
