The brutal murders of 16-year-old Isaiah and his 18-year-old cousin, Joel Henry, followed by the equally heinous killing of Haresh Singh, remain a dark stain on Guyana’s social and political fabric—one made even worse by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Irfaan Ali government’s mishandling, neglect, and cynical posturing in the face of these tragedies. What unfolded in the wake of these gruesome acts exposed the PPP’s hollow promises of justice and its dangerous penchant for exploiting racial tensions to its own political advantage.
On 7th September 2020, the mutilated bodies of cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry were discovered in the Cotton Tree Backdam on the West Coast Berbice, their bodies bearing signs of a savagery that shook the nation to its core. Days later- September 9, 2020- Haresh Singh, 17-year-old, from a nearby village, bludgeoned body was found in the backdam of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice.
Accusations and counter-accusations were flying, heavily tinged with racial and political overtones as the Government exploited these, leaving grieving families and a bewildered society forced to deliver leadership and demand justice for the deceased.
A Nation’s Outcry and The Regional Security System
In response to growing national and international pressure, the Ali government invited CARICOM Regional Security System (RSS) to assist in the Guyana Police Force investigations. A five-member team from RSS arrived on September 28, 2020. The team included an Assistant Commissioner of Police, and other officials from countries within the Regional Investigative Management Systems (RIMS).
The RSS, an intergovernmental organisation tasked with enhancing regional security, conducted an independent review of the case. However, their findings were disheartening. The RSS concluded that the local investigative process was plagued by incompetence and inefficiency, with critical evidence mishandled or overlooked entirely. They made recommendations for a more thorough investigation, but these have largely gone unheeded.
Entered the International Forensic Expert
Then in December 2020, Director of the Argentine Team of Forensic Anthropology (EAAF) Dr. Luis Fondebrider, visited at the instigation of the Henrys’ lawyer, Nigel Hughes and the Guyana Human Rights Association. They met with resistance from the Guyana Police Force that was unwilling to share critical information to advance the investigation.
The RSS involvement, which was heralded as a turning point, ultimately became another symbol of the government’s hollow promises. Despite their input, no substantial progress was made in solving the murders. Commentators expressed the view the government used the RSS as a shield against criticism. However, Government’s inability—or unwillingness—to implement the recommendations left the victims’ families feeling even more betrayed.
The charges and discharges
On June 29, 2021 four persons were arrested and charged for Singh’s murder- Philip Anderson, called ‘Ratman’, of Lot 25 # 3 Village, West Coast Berbice; Joel Gittins, called ‘Bolo’, of Jangotown, East Coast Demerara; Glaston Henry, called Gladwin Henry, aka ‘Soldierman’, of # 3 Village, West Coast Berbice; and Charles Scott called ‘Bucko’, of Lot 29 Jarvis Street Rosignol, Berbice
On 6th July 2021, Magistrate Peter Hugh, at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court, freed Anil Sancharra, called “Dan-Pole” and “Rasta”, of D’Edward Village, WCB; and Vinod Gopaul, called “Magga”, of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne of the gruesome murder. Magistrate Hugh ruled in favour of a no-case submission made by the men’s attorney, Dexter Todd, following the closing of the state’s case in the preliminary inquiry (PI). Todd contended the state failed to make out a case against the men. In the case of Singh, the police’s file turned up missing.
The views of charging these men are mixed. Some feel they are culpable, while others feel they were framed, and the true culprits are walking free and have the protection of persons in high office.
These murders were not random acts of violence; they were brutal, premeditated crimes fueled by deep-seated social and racial divisions, divisions the PPP has done little to heal and much to exacerbate.
Despite public outcry, the PPP government has failed to provide justice for these victims and their grieving families. With no clear accountability established, the victims’ families are left without answers, wondering if the government ever cared about their suffering in the first place.
The views of charging these men are mixed. Some feel they are culpable, while others feel they were framed, and the true culprits are walking free and have the protection of persons in high office.
Despite public outcry, the PPP government has failed to provide justice for these victims and their grieving families. With no clear accountability established, the victims’ families are left without answers, wondering if the government ever cared about their suffering in the first place.
The Deaths of the Henry Mothers
Isaiah’s mother, Mrs. Patricia Henry, was consumed by heartbreak as she fought tirelessly for answers, facing the stark reality of an indifferent government more preoccupied with political optics than delivering justice. The trauma took its toll, and Patricia passed away 18th October 2022 of a heart attack, still waiting for even a shred of accountability. Her death was not just a personal tragedy; it was a damning indictment of the PPP’s failure to provide hope, healing, or closure to the families it so often claims to represent.
Joel Henry’s mother, Mrs. Gale Henry, followed a similarly heartbreaking path. Her health deteriorated under the weight of sorrow, anguish, and frustration. She died on 10th November 2023 from a ruptured blood vessel. Her pleas for justice were met with empty promises and political platitudes from the PPP administration, which seems to have mastered the arka of offering hollow words without taking meaningful action. Patricia died with her grief unresolved, leaving a nation to grapple with the unforgiving truth: the Guyanese justice system, under the PPP’s leadership, abandoned her and her family.
The murders of the Henry cousins and Haresh Singh highlighted more than just individual acts of brutality—they exposed a deeper malaise in Guyanese society. The PPP’s governance has been defined by a willingness to exploit racial divisions for electoral power, while offering no meaningful solutions to the issues that perpetuate violence, poverty, and mistrust between communities.
Justice Delayed, Justice Denied
The government’s selective empathy and failure to address systemic issues such as race and political division underscore its hypocrisy. Public condemnations and calls to explore initiatives to foster peace in the wake of such horrifying racial violence have been ignored.
Commentators believe the deafening silence is a testament to the government’s priorities—or lack thereof. They have expressed concern that instead of uniting Guyana in the wake of these tragedies, the PPP has exacerbated the divides. They argue that its governance is marked by corruption, nepotism, and the prioritisation of its political loyalists over the well-being of the nation as a whole.
In a country where justice often feels like a distant dream for ordinary citizens, the murders of the Henry cousins and Haresh Singh serve as painful reminders of just how little progress has been made under the PPP’s rule.
Until Government stops turning a blind eye to justice or using tragedies as political tools, and starts governing with accountability, transparency, and empathy, Guyana’s future will remain as fractured and uncertain as its past.
Hundreds paid their final respects to the late Joel and Isaiah Henry- two teenaged cousins who were found slaughtered in the Cotton Tree Village West Coast #Berbice backdam one week ago. #Guyana pic.twitter.com/INk3iu8dMp
— Village Voice News (@villagevoicegy) September 13, 2020