Nearly half of all inmates in Guyana ‘on remand’—US Human Rights report

August 15, 2025

Nearly half of Guyana’s total prison population is made up of people who have not yet been tried, according to the United States Department of State’s 2024 human rights report released on Tuesday (August 12, 2025).

The report says 41 percent of inmates are on remand, with many waiting as long as three years before their cases reach court, sometimes longer than the sentence they would face if convicted.

The delays are blamed on an overburdened justice system, staff shortages, and slow legal procedures.

The report also highlighted other serious concerns, including allegations of unlawful killings and arbitrary detention.

The most notable case involves the fatal police shooting of Gordon Sancho in July 2024. Police had said Sancho opened fire first, prompting them to return fire, but as of late September, in the same year, the investigation into his death was still ongoing.

While Guyana’s constitution prohibits unlawful arrest and detention and guarantees the right to challenge imprisonment in court, the report notes instances where these protections were not upheld.

To this end, the report cites the case of Terrence Sandy, who claimed he was unlawfully arrested in June 2023 and held for more than two months without charge. Sandy has sued the state for $96M, and his case was still before the courts in September 2025.