GUYANA-Regional and international media groups express solidarity with Guyanese journalists.

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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The regional media umbrella grouping, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), and the 24-member IFEX-ALC network have condemned “ in the strongest possible terms the intimidation of journalists in Guyana.”

In a joint statement, the ACM and the IFEX-ALC, which is an affiliate of the Canada-based IFEX that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression in Latin America and the Caribbean, said they were also calling on the Guyana government “to immediately set the tone for a cessation of such acts that ultimately serve to fertilize the ground for an escalation of such acts that can ultimately lead to physical harm.”

The organizations said they were also importing the Irfaan Ali government “to urge its supporters to refrain from intimidatory behavior.

“Guyana is a signatory to the Media Freedom Coalition, which recognizes that a strong democratic tradition requires free and fair media. Threats and harassment of journalists run counter to that principle,” said the two groups, noting with “concern the harassment directed” at a newspaper journalist, Davina Bagot, at a press conference hosted by President Ali.

“She has since been subjected to cyberbullying and personal attacks from government supporters. The President of the Guyana Press Association, Nazima Raghubir, has also been the victim of cyberbullying and personal attacks in the state-owned newspaper,” said the organization, adding that Raghubir is also the vice-president of the ACM.

“These are not isolated cases that are only confined to the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led administration as there have been instances in which the opposition and its supporters have also engaged in hostilities towards state media workers.”

They said recently, a journalist from the state-owned Guyana Chronicle newspaper, Tamica Garnett, “was verbally abused by a senior member of People’s National Congress Reform she called for a comment.

“The ACM believes that there is no coincidence between the posture of senior political operatives and content in the State-owned media as well as a Facebook profile that is believed to be controlled by an associate or associates of the governing party.

“The ACM and IFEX-ALC are calling for cooler heads to prevail and politicians to exercise restraint and encourage their members and supporters to do the same. The ACM and IFEX-ALC stand in solidarity with journalists Davina Bagot, Nazima Raghubir, Tamica Garnett, and other media workers in Guyana in their quest to perform their duties freely.”

The two organizations say they endorsed steps that have been taken to report the two latest incidents to the Guyana Police Force and the Constitutional Women and Gender Equality Commission.

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