Dear Editor,
In my last letter, I asked readers to remember two words: “collateral damage”. Hana Mohamed has now given us every reason to. Asked by the media today to explain what she meant when she used those words about Constable Ryan Greene and his family, she first denied saying them. The video says otherwise. She then offered a new version: what she really meant, she said, is that everyone will become collateral damage in the Government’s pursuit of her brother, the Leader of the Opposition. A denial followed by a reinterpretation is not a clarification. It is damage control. And the new version, read carefully, is not a retreat. It is a confession.
Start with the denial. The remark was made to the face of a family whose son sits on remand and whose mother had been detained, and it was recorded. Ms Mohamed’s word against a recording would be a weak hand at the best of times, and her record this year makes it weaker. In February, Glenn Hanoman, counsel for the requesting state, described her Facebook claims of a “bombshell revelation” in the extradition hearing as “entirely false, misleading, and without factual foundation”. In April, the Supreme Court of Judicature itself had to correct a post of hers that named the judiciary’s own research counsel as members of a state legal team. In September, the Chief Magistrate warned her, in open court, to stop posting about the proceedings after a key witness said he feared for his family’s safety. When a prosecutor, a court, and a Magistrate have all had to correct your version of events in the same year, the public is entitled to believe the video.
Now the clarification. Its premise is that the Government is pursuing her brother. It is not. The law is, and on several fronts, none of them were invented in Georgetown. In June 2024, the United States Treasury sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed and his father for public corruption, alleging that their company omitted more than 10,000 kilograms of gold from its declarations and avoided more than US$50 million in duties owed to the people of Guyana. A federal grand jury in Florida has since indicted both men on 11 counts, including wire fraud and money laundering, and the US has requested their extradition. At home, he and two staff members face firearm charges and a charge of attempting to obstruct the course of justice arising from the October 12 incident outside the home of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, the key witness against him. On October 30, he was jointly charged with the Constable under the Cybercrime Act and remanded by a Magistrate applying the Bail Act. Every one of these matters arises from conduct alleged against him, brought by law enforcement and placed before a court. None of them is a Government press release.
So consider who the “everyone” in her revised sentence actually is. A 20-year-old Constable, remanded to prison on the same charge as her brother. His mother, Nikita Greene, detained until the High Court ordered her release. His father, Randy Greene, left to file habeas corpus proceedings on his own. Two of Mr Mohamed’s employees were charged alongside him. A company that bears a family member’s name, designated by the US Treasury. And, by Nazar Mohamed’s own public account in March 2025, people connected to the Administration lost their US visas because of their association with him. Collateral damage implies a strike. In every one of these cases, the strike came from inside the Mohamed camp, not from the state.
Strip the new version of its packaging, and the meaning is plainer than the original. If he goes down, everyone goes down with him. That was always the message. The Constable was simply the first name on the list. The party, its supporters, his staff, the Office of Leader of the Opposition, the reputation of the Magistracy and, last week, even a state reception for a visiting Monarch have all been drafted into one man’s defence. That is not the language of a political leader. It is the logic of someone holding the room hostage.
Why would anyone think this way? The answer is entitlement, and it predates WIN. When the sanctions landed in June 2024, the family expected the Government to stand between them and Washington. It could not, and it should not have. Guyana’s banks depend on correspondent relationships with United States institutions. Its oil economy earns and settles in US dollars. Its security partnership with the US is no small matter with Venezuela at the border. No responsible Government would put every depositor, importer, remitter, and public servant at risk to shield one family’s fortune from the US Treasury. The Government cut its ties and put the country first. By March 2025, Nazar Mohamed was on Facebook declaring, “The Constitution protects me,” complaining about denied vessel approvals and withheld mining permits, and hinting at legal action. The grievance born in that moment is the grievance driving the Opposition today. If the state would not protect them, the state would be made to pay. A political party was the instrument.
None of this is new. It is a familiar pattern among the very wealthy whose fortunes, on the allegations of the authorities, were built in the shadow of the rules. Money is mistaken for immunity. Philanthropy becomes a shield. Accountability is rebranded as persecution. And the people around them, staff, supporters, and a young policeman with a career ahead of him, become expendable the moment the law comes knocking. Real leaders absorb the cost to protect others. Here, others are made to absorb the cost to protect the leader. If Constable Greene did nothing wrong, the Mohamed camp should have been the first to stand beside him. Instead, Mr Mohamed’s attorney said his client “does not know this young man,” and his sister called him collateral damage.
The presumption of innocence stands, and the courts will settle the criminal questions. But words spoken in public belong to the public, and no amount of reinterpretation can unsay them. Ms Mohamed did not misspeak. She told a family fighting for its son the truth about how her household sees everyone outside it. Today’s “clarification” only widened the circle. Guyanese should take her at her word, both versions of it.

Yours faithfully,
Concerned citizen

Source: Guyana Times

Dear Editor,
When you have a spoilt and entitled billionaire with a delusional ego and no competency or foresight on how to run a country, then you will end up with a party that attracts a segment of our population that are easily “bought out”, resulting in the violent and unsightly protests we saw recently, because “wanna-be” politicians like Azruddin.
It is becoming clear that the WIN party is not for the people of this country but an attempt at a desperate bid to protect one man and his family’s empire. The Mohameds have compounded their wealth for decades, yet it is only within the few years the country learned of Azruddin Mohamed that he was placed under investigation, indicted, sanctioned and is now facing extradition, yet his supporters wouldn’t pick up on that. Where was he before 2020? Why didn’t he start his political career earlier if he cared for Guyanese? Because picture this: prior to the investigation, the Mohameds were PPP supporters; in fact, his father, Nazar Mohamed, was a PPP councillor. What changed is the fact that their money could not have bought their freedom, because (theoretically) had the PPP thrown their support behind Azruddin in 2020, then the empty barrels in front of the courts would not have been protesting. The reality of that would’ve also meant there would not have been a PPP Government today because the opportunistic PNC and their several fake parties would’ve used that to attack the PPP.
Azruddin and his father were indicted via a grand jury in Florida. This body usually comprises 20+ ordinary Americans that have no connections to the case; in fact, these types of cases are usually brought by state prosecutors that take months (even years) to build a case with merit. They gather every and any single form of proof, evidence, record, etc. to determine whether the case is valid or not. The US federal investigation into Azruddin Mohamed spanned from 2017 to June 2024 (covering a scheme involving gold exports and tax evasion), and the indictment in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida was unsealed on October 6, 2025 (with the court filing dated October 3, 2025). If these prosecutors misrepresent a case, the consequences they face are severe, and they can do irreparable damage to their careers and reputation.
That is why Azruddin Mohamed is fearful of the evidence in the extradition being made public because it is factual; to date he has not contested the evidence, despite his claims of innocence. In fact, he is actively trying to stop the process through legal challenges like bias and fears of being sent to a third-world country, none of which can be considered contesting the evidence, yet his supporters wouldn’t question it.
His entire family that claims to lead a life of devotion to Islamic teachings is actively engaging in deceit, bribery and lies. If they truly did nothing wrong, why go to all these measures? Including stating “peaceful protest” that resulted in Stabroek square up in flames, all in the Mohameds’ name? Why lie about an assassination when they invited themselves to the scene of the incident? These are not smart tactics; they are clear desperation attempts against a shrinking timeframe and an inevitable reality they themselves CANNOT run from without bribing people. like “headless chickens” running around the place.
At this point his only hope is to create as much distrust between the population and the Government. They have shifted the attention of claiming innocence in the extradition proceedings (tax fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, smuggling, etc.) and are now directing attention to fabricated attempts to overexaggerate claims of persecution by the Government through deliberate rage baiting and provocation. The precedent this sets is a catalyst for societal collapse; eventually, it destroys the unity we strive to achieve. How shallow is it to bribe less academically inclined Guyanese and the intellectual bunch with nothing but hate and arrogance in their hearts to fight for a billionaire who built his wealth by evading taxes? Further, how hypocritical it is for WIN supporters to say people are suffering yet their ulterior political agenda is not for the people of this country but one singular objective (to free Azruddin). It is a shame the things some Guyanese do for money, without thinking about the consequences down the road. God help this country!

Kind regards,
Dev Harry

Source: Guyana Times

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Democrats captured majorities in both the Senate and House yesterday, scoring sweeping victories that reached deep into Republican strongholds as tens of millions of voters delivered a scathing rebuke to President Donald Trump.

The size and breadth of the Democratic wave were still coming into focus, but the party prevailed in states long thought to ‌be out of reach, including conservative bastions like South Carolina, Texas and Iowa.

The Democratic wave underscored voters’ deep frustration with Trump’s stewardship of the economy and his decision to launch a war against Iran in February, which drove gas prices up sharply. In poll after poll, voters expressed anxiety about the cost of living and anger at the way Trump has handled the issue.

In Kansas, Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor, became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since the Great Depression nearly a century ago.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown claimed a seat that belonged to Vice President JD Vance two years ago, while Texas Democratic state Representative James Talarico withstood a barrage of outside spending to defeat ⁠scandal-plagued Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Ohio and Texas voted for Trump by a double-digit margin in 2024.

In South Carolina, a state that Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024, pediatrician Annie Andrews triumphed over Republican Senator Darline Graham, who was appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham.

Trump elevated Paxton and Graham ahead of more established candidates despite clear liabilities. Paxton has been at the center of a litany of controversies, including his 2023 impeachment and securities fraud charges, while Graham’s admitted inexperience drew negative headlines.

Trump campaigned heavily for Paxton, Graham and Ohio’s Jon Husted as part of a late election blitz that included more than two dozen rallies, and the president told his supporters repeatedly to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in an effort to fire up his base.

On Tuesday night, as it grew clear Republicans were in danger of losing their congressional majorities, Trump wrote on social media, “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Democrats had flipped six Republican Senate seats in all, ensuring a majority ‌even if they ⁠don’t manage to hold their own seats in competitive Michigan and Minnesota.

Democrats were also on track to take control of the US House of Representatives after flipping at least eight Republican seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina and showing strength even in solidly conservative districts.

The party’s dominance extended to other races as well. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a three-term incumbent, lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa, while Democrats also captured governorships in conservative Iowa and Ohio.

A REBUKE TO TRUMP, WINNER SAYS

“In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. ⁠Trump,” incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party.

In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon but was ahead by only about 3 percentage points in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, according to a vote count compiled by Reuters and USA Today, further evidence that even solidly Republican states were shifting dramatically toward Democrats.

Democrats held onto ⁠three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least 9 percentage points.

According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets including major television networks and the Associated Press, half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the ⁠president, and three-quarters said they are “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way the country is headed.

In addition, 70% of voters surveyed said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the president.

Source: Kiskadee Watch

-Hanoman raises prospect of murder charge in Fagundes case

Following strong opposition from defence lawyers to prosecution arguments that included the prospect of further criminal charges, Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman on Tuesday declined for a second consecutive day to revoke Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed’s bail in his extradition proceedings.

Magistrate Latchman ruled that breaches of his bail conditions had not been established and that there were no substantial grounds to justify revocation. She also found no evidence that Mohamed was a flight risk or had supplied the court with an incorrect address.

The hearing at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court featured sharp exchanges between prosecutor Glen Hanoman and defence attorneys Siand Dhurjon and Roysdale Forde over allegations of witness interference, evidence tampering and political victimisation.

As the prosecution presented its arguments, Mohamed’s father and co-defendant, Nazar Mohamed, broke into tears. At one point, he called out in defence of his son: “He is being victimized, he is innocent of all these charges!”

Magistrate Latchman asked the elder Mohamed to try to control himself during the proceedings.

Hanoman, seeking to have the magistrate revisit her decision of the previous day, argued that Azruddin Mohamed had committed further offences while on bail and subject to conditions.

He alleged that within hours of conditions being imposed, Mohamed had appeared outside the United States Embassy and described prosecution witness Senior Superintendent Prem Narine as a murderer and an assassin. He also referred to calls for Narine’s visa to be revoked and for his deportation, characterising the conduct as witness tampering.

Hanoman contended that Mohamed had repeatedly been afforded bail and suggested that this had encouraged a belief that he was above the law.

He told the court that further charges were being contemplated in connection with the 2021 Main Street murder of Ricardo Fagundes, witness tampering, obstruction of justice and cybercrime-related offences. He said persons he described as co-conspirators had already given statements to police.

Those assertions were challenged by the defence. Dhurjon said Mohamed had never been arrested or contacted by police in relation to a murder investigation. If investigators had uncovered serious evidence, he argued, Mohamed was already in custody and available to be questioned.

Dhurjon maintained that there must be proper grounds for revisiting bail and that Hanoman’s assertions could not be treated as the equivalent of sworn affidavit evidence. He also questioned whether the prosecutor was involved in the investigations to which he referred. 

Accusing Hanoman of malicious intent, Dhurjon argued that the prosecutor was making allegations as the hearing progressed.

Hanoman also alleged that Mohamed had tampered with evidence by releasing footage of the shooting incident outside Narine’s residence with a false narration and by cropping the video to misrepresent what had occurred.

Dhurjon disputed that characterisation, questioning how the cropping of footage, by itself, amounted to evidence tampering.

“Must Mr Mohamed show the entire 24 hour footage?” he asked.

Hanoman clarified that the prosecution was seeking revocation of Azruddin Mohamed’s bail alone, rather than that of his father. He argued that the cumulative effect of charges brought since bail was granted justified revocation, even if individual charges were not considered serious.

Dhurjon urged the court to take account of what he described as extraordinary allegations by the prosecutor.

Hanoman maintained that the charges had been thoroughly investigated and alleged that Mohamed’s conduct involved bribery and corruption. He further alleged that the Mohameds had bribed governments over decades and argued that the proceedings reflected the loss of protection rather than victimisation.

It was during these submissions that Nazar Mohamed interjected in defence of his son.

Befall

Responding to the allegations concerning Narine, Dhurjon said Mohamed had attended a protest days after the court proceedings relating to the shooting incident. Those present had demanded justice, he said, and had not called for harm to befall Narine.

Dhurjon also alleged that Narine had assaulted Mohamed on the road and said photographs showed his client’s injuries. He argued that the matter illustrated institutional failures.

“Our institutions do not function as they should,” he told the court.

Forde similarly argued that the charges were politically motivated and accused Hanoman of diverting attention from the issues the court had to determine.

He pointed to Mohamed’s position as Opposition Leader and the police’s placement under the Ministry of Home Affairs, questioning whether an ordinary citizen would have been repeatedly charged in similar circumstances.

Addressing the firearm-related allegations, Forde said Mohamed had been recording the use of state resources at Narine’s property and had driven past without stopping.

Hanoman also questioned the address Mohamed had supplied to the court, alleging that police had found him hiding at a relative’s residence.

Magistrate Latchman asked whether a person who gave an address to the court was thereby prohibited from visiting another address.

Dhurjon said no wanted bulletin had been issued for Mohamed and questioned how he was to know police were seeking him. He added that police had not visited Mohamed’s Republic Park address between October 12 and 14.

Hanoman further argued that Mohamed posed a flight risk because he had access to fast helicopters and speedboats.

After hearing the submissions, Magistrate Latchman ruled that the existence of charges did not, by itself, satisfy the court that Mohamed had committed or was likely to commit an offence. Breaches of his bail conditions had to be established, she said.

She found no evidence supporting the allegations that he was a flight risk or had given an incorrect address.

The ruling leaves Mohamed’s bail in the extradition proceedings intact, subject to the existing conditions. It does not determine his custody status in separate criminal proceedings.

Mohamed and his father are contesting extradition to the United States. Their extradition proceedings are scheduled to resume before Magistrate Latchman on November 23.

Meanwhile, a bail application filed by Mohamed’s mother, Bonita Mohamed, is expected to be heard before Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif at 9 am today. The application seeks to quash Magistrate Abigail Gibbs’ October 30 decision refusing bail in the surveillance footage case and secure his release on reasonable terms. It alleges apparent bias arising from a connection between Gibbs and an officer involved in investigating the underlying shooting incident, challenges the length of remand and argues that insufficient weight was given to Mohamed’s previous compliance with bail conditions, family responsibilities and established ties to Guyana. 

Source: Kiskadee Watch

“This looks like malice or some kind of vengeance they took out,” the sister of 32-year-old Gavin Kennard Douglas said, as the family continues to demand answers following his death while in police custody at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station.

Reanna Douglas said the family was still waiting to establish exactly what happened to her brother, whose post-mortem examination reportedly revealed injuries to his head and abdomen.

“I don’t know why they had to go to this length,” she said, questioning the circumstances surrounding his death and the injuries found on his body.

Speaking with Kiskadee Watch yesterday, Reanna said the family had been informed that some police ranks were in custody and were awaiting further developments in the investigation. She said the post-mortem findings had not provided the family with all the answers they wanted, although they were told that Douglas died as a result of bruises to his head and abdomen.

The family also raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding his detention, particularly the clothes he was wearing when they saw him at the hospital.

According to Reanna, her brother was wearing his own clothes when he was detained, but when relatives subsequently visited him at the hospital, he was dressed in a different set of clothes and underwear.

She also questioned the robbery allegations against him, saying that while he had been accused of involvement in the crime, evidence had not been presented to the family to substantiate the allegations.

She said there were four charges in connection with the robbery and that a wanted bulletin had been issued several weeks earlier. Reanna further said Douglas had been restrained by police ranks, with his hands secured, as they attempted to place him in the lock-ups.

The family has since announced plans for a  candlelight vigil at Vreed-en-Hoop at 6 p.m. today to remember Douglas and call for justice. “They’re armed and ready for us, but we are going peaceful,” Reanna said.

Douglas, of Lot 416 Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara, was reportedly stopped by police at a roadblock while driving motorcar PAL 2278 and taken to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station in connection with an alleged robbery.

His mother, Colette Jones, an inspector attached to the Special Constabulary Department, previously told Kiskadee Watch that she went to the station and found her son already lying there.

Jones said she received no notification from the police about what had happened to her son. She also said the commander was not present at the time and that she had to depend on information relayed to him by other ranks.

She subsequently heard at the West Demerara Regional Hospital that her son had allegedly been tasered three times.

Describing what she observed, Jones said the left side of his neck was swollen, his veins appeared swollen and he was foaming at the mouth. She questioned how much resistance her son could have offered if, as she understood, his hands had been handcuffed behind his back.

Douglas’ father, Gavin Douglas Snr, also expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided by the police. “The police is not telling me what I need to hear,” he said, adding that, to his knowledge, marks of violence were found on his son’s body.

The death has prompted calls from political parties for accountability and an investigation independent of the police force.

The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), in its latest update, confirmed that six police ranks had been placed under close arrest and questioned in connection with the death.

According to the OPR, on November 2, three ranks attached to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station and one from the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station were placed under close arrest and questioned.

Two additional ranks from the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station were subsequently placed under close arrest and are also being questioned.

The OPR said investigators were widening their probe and that other ranks were likely to be arrested as the investigation continued.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday called for the findings of the investigation to be made public, warning against any attempt to cover up the circumstances surrounding Douglas’ death.

The party said the post-mortem examination showed that Douglas died from blunt force trauma to the head and that he had sustained severe injuries to other parts of his body.

The AFC described the death as part of a pattern of alleged police abuse and deaths in custody, arguing that citizens must be protected from mistreatment while detained. It also called on citizens to advocate for accountability and urged opposition parties and concerned citizens to unite in demanding action.

Meanwhile, WIN Member of Parliament Gordon Barker said he was disturbed by reports surrounding Douglas’ death and called for an urgent, independent and transparent investigation.

Barker referred to allegations that Douglas had been tortured before his death, saying accounts from his father, along with videos and images circulating about the incident, raised serious concerns.

He stressed that detention did not remove a person’s right to life, dignity and protection from torture or cruel treatment. “If these allegations are substantiated, those responsible must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Barker said, while cautioning against reaching conclusions prematurely.

The Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) also called for an independent investigation, arguing that the police should not be left to investigate themselves.

In a statement yesterday, the movement referenced the Guyana Police Force’s initial account that Douglas became aggressive, was restrained and was subsequently found frothing at the mouth in the lock-ups.

It said the post-mortem examination found that Douglas died from a brain haemorrhage due to blunt trauma and that two Taser studs were removed from his body.

The movement further said Douglas’ family, who witnessed the post-mortem examination, reported that his intestines were ruptured.

FGM also raised concerns about allegations that recordings from the police station may have been tampered with before senior officers arrived, although these claims have not been independently established.

The movement said the investigation should be referred to the Police Complaints Authority, citing the handling of the 2022 fatal shooting of Quindon Bacchus as an example of an investigation involving that authority.

It urged President Irfaan Ali to ensure an independent process, arguing that public confidence in the investigation could be undermined if the police force is responsible for investigating its own ranks.

FGM also stressed that every person in state custody, regardless of the allegations against them, is entitled to humane treatment and protection of their life and dignity.

Douglas, who was a father of one, worked as a taxi driver and also undertook construction work.

Source: Kiskadee Watch