GUYANA | Attorney-at law arrested for advising her client of her right not to speak to the police

GEORGETOWN,  Guyana, October 28, 2022 - “A most brutal attack on the rule of law,” is how attorney at law Nigel Hughes charactertised the arrest of AttorneyTamieka Clarke today by the Georgetown police.   

Ms Clarke was arrested by officers of the Special Organized Crime (SOCU) after she advised her client  to exercise her right to silence during an interview with officers from the Special Organized Crime Unit. 

Miss Clarke, who was arrested for just under an hour, was asked to take her client into the police for questioning. During the questioning, the lawyer advised her client that it was her constitutional right to be silent and should not answer any questions at this time.

The attorney was arrested by the police and charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

She has since been released following the intervention of Attorney Nigel Hughes, who described the arrest of the Attorney as an attack on the local bar.

“ This is an attack on every single lawyer in Guyana whether or not they support or do not support the government. You cannot intimidate the legal profession when they are exercising their right to practice as an attorney and certainly when a client is being advised to exercise their right to silence. We consider this as a most brutal attack on the rule of law,” Mr Hughes said.

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