Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, 22:16 by Denis Chabrol
Family members and others of the captain of the MV Barima and other Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) staff on Wednesday protested on East and West Coast Demerara against the murder charge for the 72 persons who died in the tragedy.
In a related protest, numerous Indigenous Amerindians, political and civil society activists protested outside Office of the President demanding justice for the survivors of the 72 persons who perished and another 30 missing and feared dead.
At Den Amstel Public Road, West Coast Demerara, about 30 persons, bearing placards, chanted “jail the criminals, free the innocent” They also called for the removal of minister responsible for maritime transportation, Juan Edghill and minister for maritime regulation, Deodat Indar. They also held placards that stated “wrongly accused, wrongly judged”, “we must hold our leaders accountable now”, “free Delon and crew and arrest Edghill”, “Delon does not deserve this”, “free Delon Granderson”, and “murder for what? Free Delon now” as they chanted “who sink the evidence? Edghill and Indar.”
Across at Melanie Damishana Public Road, the government came in for scathing criticism for going after the T&HD workers for the boat tragedy in contrast to its alleged failure to go after suspects in the death of Adrianna Young whose body was found in a pool at the Double Day Hotel, Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo. “Anil Nandlall and the DPP were silent with Adrianna’s case but they suddenly have voice,” “we need justice, not selective justice,” free Kevin Price, Ronel Roberts and Delon Granderson now” and “Bishop Edghill must go now”. 
The protesters at Den Amstel were in solidarity primarily with T&HD Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson, 33, of Fellowship, West Coast Demerara. Similarly, those at Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara were mainly backing their villager, MV Barima’s captain, 40-year old Kevin “KP” Price and added the names of the two other persons. In all, Mr Granderson, Mr Price and Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, of Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara were charged with the murder of 72 persons when it sank on the night of July 18, 2026.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips on Tuesday said he did not believe that the MV Barima captain and others set out to kill occupants of that vessel. After lawyers Nigel Hughes and Darren Wade said there was no evidence of intent to kill, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Hack, in defending her decision to advise that the trio be charged with murder, said it was based on the the evidence presented, the relevant principles of law involved, case law authorities from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth jurisdictions, the European Court of Human Rights, and public policy considerations.
Outside Office of the President, numerous Indigenous Amerindians, organised by the Amerindian People’s Association (APA), were joined in solidarity by ordinary members of the public, opposition politicians and civil society activists. They demanded that ministers Edghill and Indar b removed from office or resign. Their placards read, among other slogans, “indigenous lives matter”, “Our indigenous people deserve better”, “Indigenous lives are not second class lives”, “Mr President, we need all our broken systems fixed”, “jail Juan, jail dem all. accountability is a must”, “our First People deserve first class treatment” and “honour the victims, take responsibility, justice now for MV Barima tragedy” . Speaking with Demerara Waves from the picket line, one of the protesters hoped that the incident would trigger government action for a complete revamp of land and marine transportation systems to ensure safety of commuters. “The majority of us are not travelling by sea on a daily basis but look at on land public transportation. It is reckless, it is lawless and the protocols are not in place. The same thing translates on the sea and so I think that is a main starting point. There needs to be more enforcement, there needs to be reform of the public transportation system so as to make it safe and useable for Guyanese,” he said.
Representatives of We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), People’s National Congress Reform/ A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change participated in the picketing demonstration as unarmed police kept guard. WIN and Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed again urged that the vessel be salvaged. “We join the call for the MV Barima to be raised so that more victims can be recovered, more families can receive the dignified closure they deserve, and the full truth surrounding this tragedy can be established,” he said on his Facebook page. On the picket line, the Opposition Leader said government did not want to salvage the vessel “because they know they will be held accountable.” He said he had mobilised a team of lawyers to ensure survivors are “handsomely compensated.” Mr Mohamed said very soon he would be revealing a plan protests all 10 administrative regions.
Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali said on his Facebook page on Wednesday that he continued “my one-on-one engagements with survivors and families affected by the MV Barima tragedy.”
Prime Minister Mark Phillips said earlier this week that President Ali was continuing those meetings, and ultimately government would decide whether to salvage the MV Barima if families decide that is what they want. He reiterated that the government wanted to “get to the truth” while also honouring the wishes of the family.He denied that the government was attempting to engage in a cover-up. “Government has nothing to hide. I can tell you up front, we have nothing to hide,” he said. Pressed on whether the government was trying to convince them to say ‘yes, not to salvage’, he said. “no, no, no. Government is not trying to convince anybody to say anything,” he said. Mr Phillips also said government would not be offering compensation before the findings and recommendations by the Commission of Inquiry into the incident.
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