Guyana took significant steps to reduce human rights abuses – UN Human Rights Report 2024

The United States Department of State’s 2024 Human Rights Report commends Guyana for making significant progress in identifying and punishing officials responsible for human rights abuses.

The report notes there has been no major deterioration in overall human rights conditions compared to the previous year, and no reports of torture or cruel punishment by authorities, actions prohibited under Guyana’s Constitution.

Collaboration with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration, and other humanitarian partners has enabled the government to strengthen protection for migrants and other vulnerable groups.

The report highlights Guyana’s legal guarantees of freedom of association and workers’ rights to form and join trade unions, bargain collectively, and engage in lawful strikes. In 2024, the High Court upheld the legality of a teachers’ strike, ruling it was justified due to the absence of collective bargaining.

Guyana generally meets international standards in preventing arbitrary arrest and detention, granting individuals the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in court. The passage of the Criminal Law Procedure (Paper Committal) Bill, replacing in-person hearings with written submissions, aims to reduce lengthy pretrial detentions.

The Constitution also guarantees freedom of expression, including for the press, and the government generally respected this right. “Independent news media were active, representing a wide variety of views,” the report stated.

The State Department further acknowledged that Guyana continues to investigate and punish individuals found guilty of violating human rights.