Guyana Police Arrest The Country’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed

By NAN Staff Writer, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Wed. Aug. 26, 2026: Guyana Police arrested the country’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed last night. He remained in police custody this morning after a joint Coast Guard and police patrol pursued and intercepted his “go-fast” vessel, hours after Mohamed and fellow WIN parliamentarians completed a humanitarian visit to MV Barima disaster survivors in Port Kaituma and Mabaruma.

According to a joint statement from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and Guyana Police Force, a routine maritime patrol observed the vessel entering the mouth of the Demerara River at high speed around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. Officers signaled the vessel to stop by siren; it failed to comply, prompting a pursuit that ended when the boat was intercepted at a wharf in Friendship, East Bank Demerara. Three people, including Mohamed, were found aboard; five others suspected of traveling on the vessel were seen at the wharf. Police say the incident remains under joint investigation.

Mohamed’s camp offers a different account of what happened next. “At approximately 10:15 p.m., members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Defence Force (GDF), and Coast Guard arrived at a private wharf at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, at the premises of the Leader of the Opposition.

“At the time of their arrival, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, was seated aboard a privately owned vessel that was docked at the wharf, along with Opposition Members of Parliament Odessa Primus and Natasha Lewis. Fellow Opposition Members of Parliament Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Dawn Hastings-Williams, and Deon LaCruz were standing on the wharf.

“The servicemen requested permission to search the vessel. When asked under what authority or basis the search was being conducted, the officer in charge stated that the officers had “reasonable suspicion” of illegal activity. What followed was a prolonged engagement during which the conduct of the officers appeared increasingly disproportionate and, in our view, raised serious concerns about the possible misuse of state authority and resources. The officers subsequently called for reinforcements including at least two additional patrol boats, disconnected the vessel from the dock, and towed it to the Marine Wing of the Ruimveldt Police Station, where a search of the vessel was conducted. Nothing illegal was found on the vessel.

“Despite this, the police informed Mr. Mohamed that the vessel was being detained. When asked for the reason for the detention, officers indicated that relevant documentation for the vessel had not been produced. Upon leaving the facility, Mr. Mohamed requested documentation confirming the detention of the vessel. Instead, he was invited to sign a statement prepared by the police. Mr. Mohamed declined to sign the statement. He was subsequently informed that he was under arrest pursuant to the “Maritime Act”.

“When Mr. Mohamed questioned the officer as to the specific provision of the Act under which he was being arrested, the officer was unable to identify or cite the relevant provision and after “sucking his teeth” simply reiterated that the arrest was being made under the “Maritime Act.” Mr. Mohamed has remained in the custody of the Guyana Police Force ( Marine Wing of the Ruimveldt Police Station) since that time, up until the release of this statement.”

A disputed damage claim

This morning, Mohamed posted photos on his “Team Mohamed’s” Facebook page alleging that his boat had been deliberately damaged during roughly four hours in police custody. “Photos can clearly show the deliberate act by this administration to damage Mohamed’s property,” he wrote.

Akim Hercules posted: “This situation truly broke my heart,” Hercules wrote. “You came to Region One to do humanitarian work, to assist the relatives, families, and survivors who were affected by the tragic MV Barima disaster. This has nothing to do with politics.”

Questions over the arrest itself

A statement on Mohamed’s behalf raises several specific concerns about the legality of his detention: the vessel was already docked when officers arrived, he wasn’t operating it at the time, it was searched at police request and nothing illegal was found, no formal seizure or detention notice has been provided, and no specific provision of the Shipping Act has been cited as the legal basis for either the boat’s detention or Mohamed’s arrest. Police say he was arrested under the Maritime Act after declining to sign a statement prepared by officers.

“The circumstances surrounding the continued detention raise serious questions about whether the actions being taken are based on a legitimate enforcement process or on external directives and political considerations,” the statement says.

A relief effort, and a broader pattern

The arrest comes less than a week after WIN launched its HERO Initiative, calling on the government to immediately disburse GY$800 million in interim payments, roughly GY$5 million per affected family, to those impacted by the MV Barima disaster. Tuesday’s visit was part of that same outreach, with Mohamed and other WIN parliamentarians meeting survivors directly and offering free legal representation, telling residents not to sign any government paperwork framed as compensation.

WIN maintains the police force and Guyana Defence Force are being weaponized against the party. The arrest lands in the same stretch of weeks Mohamed’s lawyers have demanded the CCJ president recuse himself over bias allegations tied to Mohamed’s own extradition case, with hearings set to resume September 3.

NewsAmericasNow will continue following developments in Azruddin Mohamed’s detention and the broader accountability fights surrounding the MV Barima disaster.