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APNU calls for immediate release of ‘Baby Skello’
Daniel Wharton, popularly known as ‘Baby Skello’
Kaieteur News – The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), on Sunday, called for the immediate release of Daniel Wharton, popularly known as “Baby Skello,” who was remanded to prison after being charged with blasphemous libel.
Wharton, who sang a vulgar and distasteful song about the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where he was remanded to prison until July 1, 2025.
Following a public outcry, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) denounced the song and urged authorities to take disciplinary action.
In a statement, APNU criticised the severity of the court’s decision. “The decision to remand him to prison is, in any case, disproportionate and threatens our basic freedoms. Guyanese must continue to raise their voices in condemnation. Release Baby Skello now!” the party declared.
While urging Wharton’s release, APNU clarified its stance against offensive content.
“Let us be clear. We do not condone or encourage acts or expressions that willfully offend or insult any group of Guyanese based on their religious beliefs. Mr. Wharton, we understand, has since apologised,” the party noted.
Several prominent attorneys and government officials have also publicly expressed concern over the court’s ruling. Minister of Education and attorney, Priya Manickchand, voiced strong opposition on her personal Facebook page, calling the decision inconsistent and misplaced.
“The bench needs to be consistent and sensible in its application of the law. We are jailing someone for mumbling or trying to sing something offensive against a female goddess (which was terrible and should never be encouraged or listened to and which I personally condemned) but [the court is] failing to address speedily DV [domestic violence] matters where women are at the mercy of the court, failing to address matters of cyberbullying where women’s nude photographs are published online without their consent, and other truly egregious crimes against women. I truly hope he has a lawyer who will have this odd decision reversed at the High Court,” the minister said.
Other attorneys, including Sase Gunraj (Government Commissioner at GECOM), Ronald Daniels, and Dexter Todd, also criticised the ruling and called for a more balanced approach to justice.
APNU, however, expressed displeasure over the minister’s condemnation. “The APNU Coalition is therefore not impressed by the crocodile tears shed by Minister Manickchand and a few other PPP leaders over the court’s decision to remand Baby Skello. If they were genuinely concerned, as they claimed, let them be consistent and advocate within their own government to stop its repeated violations of human and democratic rights of citizens,” the party’s statement concluded.
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