Wanted bulletin issued for Rickford Burke

The Guyana Police Force late Friday night issued a wanted bulletin for United States-based Guyanese Rickford Burke in connection with seven offences.

Burke is a well-known supporter of the Opposition APNU+AFC coalition and on Thursday night he appeared on a  Facebook live programme with AFC Parliamentarian, Sherod Duncan, where he reportedly made a number of seditious remarks about the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic.

See the police release below:

A wanted publication is hereby being issued via the print and electronic media with respect to the person named at caption who is wanted for questioning in relation to the undermentioned offences and several other offences.

1. Offence: The excitement of hostility or ill-will on the grounds of Race. [s. 2 of the Racial Hostility Act. Any person who willfully excites or attempts to excite racial hostility against a particular race by means of words spoken in a public place or transmitted by telegraphy].
2. Offence: Sedition under the Cyber Crime Act. [pursuant to s. 18(1)(a) and (f). the offence is made out if it’s against the government s. 18(1)(a) and if it excites racial divisions (f)]
3. Offence: Use of a computer system to coerce and intimidate under the Cyber Crime Act. [s.19 (3) makes it an offence to disseminate information via computer which is known to be false to damage the reputation of another person].
4. Offence: Seditious Libel [offence at common law. It is the overt speech or conduct to bring hatred and contempt against the Government].
5. Offence: Seditious Libel [s. 320 Criminal Law offences Act 8:01.]
6. Offence: Inciting the provocation of a breach of the peace [provoking a breach of the peace is s.141 Cap 8:02. Inciting any offence is itself an offence]
7. Offence: inciting public terror. Inciting public terror in public places is an offence under s.137 of Cap. 8:01the incitement of persons to go to public places and behave a certain way could be incitement to cause public terror]