MV Barima COI insists no real-time live streaming of proceedings

Last Updated on Monday, 19 October 2026, 17:38 by Writer

The presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the capsizing of the MV Barima ferry has maintained that there would be no real-time live-streaming of the proceedings, but is allowing a two-hour delay in broadcast, the Guyana Press Association (GPA) said Monday.

“The proceedings may also be streamed, providing there is a two-hour delay,” the GPA said in a brief written update on a meeting its executive held with the commissioners on October 15.

The GPA said Secretary to the MV Barima Commission of Inquiry Javed Shadick confirmed in writing that “media houses may record and broadcast the public hearings in full, subject to any restrictions the Commission may impose from time to time. ”

Previous COIs in Guyana and other Caribbean countries have been routinely broadcast live.

The non-parliamentary Alliance For Change (AFC) is on record as condemning the decision not to allow real time live-streaming of the COI proceedings.

“The decision not to livestream the proceedings introduces yet another layer of secrecy into a process already burdened by questions of credibility. The refusal to provide live public access denies citizens the opportunity to observe the proceedings firsthand and assess for themselves whether the inquiry is being conducted fairly, impartially and without interference,” the AFC said.