Guyana Opposition Leader Remains Behind Bars As Protesters Clash With Police 

By NEWS AMERICAS STAFF WRITER

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mon. Nov. 2, 2026: Guyana’s Chief Magistrate has rejected a United States bid to revoke the extradition bail of Guyana Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed. Even so, he remains behind bars on separate local charges, as tensions boiled over outside the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court today.

Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman ruled that bail will stand for Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, who are both the subject of U.S. extradition proceedings. “I do not find that past conduct without a conviction or pending charges without a conviction is sufficient to warrant a revocation of bail,” Latchman said in her decision. She added that a conviction while the extradition matter is ongoing “may very well have some bearing on an application for revocation at that stage.”

Jamaican attorney Herbert McKenzie, one of the prosecutors representing the United States, had argued that bail should be revoked over several new charges recently brought against the younger Mohamed. The defense was led by attorneys Roysdale Forde and Siand Dhurjon.

The ruling, however, did not free Mohamed. He remains on remand until November 24 on separate local charges linked to an incident on October 12. Police allege he and two others discharged a loaded firearm near the home of Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, the police intelligence chief and a major witness in the extradition case, in an attempt to pervert the course of justice. He also faces charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition. His family says he was also remanded under Section 9 of the Cybercrime Act, an offense they maintain is bailable.

The bail ruling came as demonstrators calling for Mohamed’s release gathered outside the court, where the extradition hearing resumed this afternoon. Protesters forced down barricades, and police moved in to restore order around Brickdam and Avenue of the Republic in Georgetown, Guyana. According to reports from the scene, police fired rubber bullets, and demonstrators threw bottles and debris. Police also put out a fire at nearby Stabroek Market.

Mohamed’s sister, Hadiyyah Mohamed, told Kaieteur News that the family believes the opposition leader is being targeted by the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government. She alleged that police moved him without notice from the Kitty Police Station to the Sparendaam Police Station, and that he was brought before a magistrate after regular court hours. “It was sudden, spontaneous, unexpected, and deliberate,” she said. The family alleges he is being held in near-total isolation in a maximum-security block at the Lusignan Prison, with constant lighting, poor ventilation, and restraints that have left his hands and feet swollen. They said he initially refused prison meals out of fear for his safety.

The Guyana Prison Service rejected the claims. It said Mohamed is being managed under standard protocols and the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, and that his maximum-security housing reflects his high-profile classification rather than punishment. The service said he was seen by a medical officer and a welfare officer on admission on October 30. It also said:

• relatives have been approved to supply home-cooked meals, subject to security checks;
• he was allowed to telephone his son on his birthday;
• a ceiling fan serving his cell block was adjusted.

At a candlelight vigil on Sunday night, Ronald Bulkan said Mohamed is being held in “cruel, inhumane, and degrading conditions that even hardened criminals should not be exposed to.” The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) condemned what it described as collusion between the police and the magistracy to secure a weekend remand. It called it part of a broader pattern of political victimization. The association also said extradition is discretionary and must respect national sovereignty.

Mohamed’s family and supporters have called on the international community, including the ABCEU diplomatic corps, to intervene, and say protests outside the court will continue. The extradition hearing continues.