A/HRC/10/11/Add.2 page 20 IV. PROTECTION AGAINST VIOLENCE 64. In every meeting held by the independent expert with members of the Afro-Guyanese community she was told of a climate of fear based on recent violent events. The distrust of government security forces is palpable and there is what seems to be a fairly consistent narrative of use of excessive force and impunity. The distrust is enhanced by the fact that communities are highly segregated along ethnic lines, economically and socially unequal and politically polarized. Guyana’s history of violent protest, particularly associated with elections, is significant amid claims that current tensions have created a significantly higher risk of ethnically based violence. 65. Concerns were expressed by Afro-Guyanese and others regarding numerous killings of young Afro-Guyanese men from 2002 to the present day, and the existence of what has been described as a “phantom death squad”. A wide array of people within the community put the number of deaths at between 200 and 400. The reports note execution style killings, disappearances and failure to adequately record or investigate the murders. The perception is of a collusion of Government and law enforcement with known criminals to facilitate the targeting and killing of young African males known to the security services. Civil society groups have described a history and culture of violent policing in Guyana and have catalogued fatal police shootings.23 Between 1980 and 2001, out of a total of 239 fatal shootings, 78 per cent were of Afro-Guyanese individuals. 66. An extreme climate of suspicion and conspiracy theory persists within the Afro-Guyanese community and threatens to undermine social stability. There is a widespread sense that there is a systematic effort to exclude them as an ethnic group from positions of influence, power or economic status. They described a growing “resistance movement” among Afro-Guyanese in response to exclusion and discrimination, which is labelled by the Government as simply criminal activity. One commentator stated: “Moderate voices are increasingly being drowned out by more radical elements and racially divisive opinions”. 67. In January 2008, ethnic tensions were heightened considerably by the massacre of 11 Indo-Guyanese, including several children, in the Indian village of Lusignan. The Lusignan massacre reportedly fuelled anti-African sentiment, as the blame was assigned to Afro-Guyanese gangs. In February 2008, 12 police and community members of various ethnicities were killed in the town of Bartica. The killing of Afro-Guyanese miners at Lindo Creek in June served to further deepen tensions and concerns among all communities regarding security. Lack of adequate and transparent investigation into these atrocities has resulted in a high level of speculation as to the identity of perpetrators and the possible racial motivation for these killings. 68. The joint security services operations in villages such as the predominantly African Buxton have caused anger and resentment among community members who feel targeted and feel that their entire community is treated as a population of criminals. They described being “besieged” by the “joint services” (made up of members of the Guyana Defence Force and the police) during operations such as “Restore Order”. They voiced anger at the ransacking of homes and 23 Guyana Human Rights Association. Ambivalent About Violence: A Report on Fatal Shootings By the Police in Guyana 1980-2001, February 2002.