Judges, prosecutors, cops undergo human rights training by US State Department

…telecoms training also provided

Senior members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and the Judiciary on Friday participated in a one-day training conducted by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL).
The training focused on the State Department’s Leahy Law, which prohibits State assistance to foreign security forces if there is credible information that a security force unit has committed a gross violation of human rights (GVHR) which includes extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearance, or rape under the colour of law.
According to a missive from the United States Embassy in Georgetown, the training reviewed definitions of GVHR types, the consequences of committing GVHRs, and the information and reporting standards required to demonstrate that the Government of the country is taking effective steps to bring the responsible members of the security forces unit to justice before the resumption of assistance can be considered.
This training was the second in a series of trainings for Guyana’s criminal justice sector. It followed a January 25 training on the same topic that saw the participation of over 150 members of the Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service.
It was noted that this series of trainings on the State Leahy law is an example of the US Government’s commitment to the professionalism of Guyana’s criminal justice sector and promoting respect and protection of human rights.

Telecommunications
Meanwhile, the US Department of Commerce also conducted a separate training session that focused on the Telecommunications Law and Broadband Deployment.
This was the first in a series of technical assistance workshops to aid the Government of Guyana in strengthening the implementation of the 2016 Telecommunications Act.
Experts from the Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) provided best practices in administrative law and rule-making to the staff of the Telecommunications Authority and the Public Utilities Commission.
This initial workshop will be followed by training provided by the Federal Communications Commission experts on best practices for nationwide broadband deployment, particularly in connectivity for underserved rural communities.
“The engagements are aimed at assisting Guyanese officials to strengthen regulatory frameworks for the telecommunications industry. They also lay the groundwork for future collaborations between the two governments on rural broadband connectivity, network security, and supplier diversity, which are all paramount to the universal deployment of broadband services,” the US Embassy said in a separate statement.
This programme is reflective of the US commitment to the rule of law, network access and security, and a competitive communications industry. CLDP’s mission is to improve the legal and business-enabling environments in developing and transitional countries, fostering economic opportunity for local entrepreneurs and US companies alike.
Just over two months of entering office, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government in October 2020 issued commencement orders for the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Guyana thus opening up massive business opportunities for new entrants in the ICT and ICT-enabled businesses to operate locally.
As a result, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips last week handed over a telecommunication licence to locally-owned Green Gibraltar with aim of broadening services in the telecoms sector.
The Prime Minister, who has responsibility for the telecommunication sector in Guyana, said it is his hope that the increased competition in the local telecommunications sector would result in better quality service to Guyanese.
In a notice published in the local media last October, Green Gibraltar said it has applied for the granting of an individual licence to operate a public telecommunications network and offer a public mobile telecommunications service in seven of Guyana’s 10 Administrative Regions, that is, Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10.
Additionally, it was stated that the company also applied for frequency authorisation to use spectrum and to install and operate radio communication equipment in the operating of the network and service. (G8)