No livestream, no updates - Barima families say shut out of CoI hearings

(Kaieteur News) – Months after the MV Barima capsized off Guyana’s coast, claiming more than 100 lives, grieving families in Region One (Barima-Waini) are facing renewed anguish as the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) investigates the disaster without providing them with direct updates, while a ban on livestreaming the hearings further limits their access to the proceedings.

As the public inquiry got underway in Georgetown last week, relatives in Mabaruma, Port Kaituma, Moruca and surrounding riverine communities said they were struggling to obtain information about the proceedings and lacked clear guidance on how they could follow the hearings or participate in the investigation.

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With the inquiry being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Georgetown, hundreds of miles from many of the affected communities, families say they have been left without direct communication from the commission secretariat about how they can remain informed as evidence is presented.