The eighth anniversary of the assassination of Guyanese journalist Ronald Waddell passed with little recognition from the citizenry in Guyana except for a tribute and online broadcast by activist/journalist Mark Benschop. The tribute included audio clips of Waddell’s broadcasts which highlighted what he saw as the connections between law enforcement members and criminals associated with the government.
Ronald Waddell was a former talk-show host on HBTV Channel 9 and an opposition activist. He was gunned down outside his home in the Georgetown suburb of Subryanville on January 30, 2006, at around 8 pm. Eyewitnesses at the time spoke of two men armed with pistols emerging from a car parked on the other side of the street and shooting Waddell multiple times before getting back into their car and driving off. Waddell was hit in the head, back, and chest and later died in a Georgetown hospital.
Waddell was a host of an HBTV Channel 9 talk-show since 2001 and often used his broadcasts as a platform to voice his criticism of Guyana’s “democracy”. His program drew strong reaction by President Jagdeo who made his criticism public via the presidential website. According to one source, the HBTV talk show was suspended in November 2005 under government pressure.
Ronald Waddell also accused the government of covering up extrajudicial executions and did not hesitate to denounce collusion between the government and drug traffickers.
When interviewed after Waddell’s death, his mother told one local news outlet that he had received many threats and “knew he was going to be killed.”
As of this article, no one has been arrested for Waddell’s murder, nor does there seem to be any activity in the investigation into his death.
Director-General of UNESCO condemns murder of Guyanese journalist Ronald Waddell
