Persad-Bissessar: Government covering up baby's death

The Opposition Leader is calling for an urgent independent inquiry into the killing of Ya Elvis Sarabia Santoyo in light of the deportation of the 35 refugees who were witnesses to the incident.

In a release, Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the deportation reeked of a state-orchestrated cover-up. She said it was concerning that the deportation took place in “collusion” with the Venezuelan government, led by Nicholas Maduro.

“These migrants who were fleeing the terror of the Maduro regime have now been handed over to his military forces. The Prime Minister’s revelation in Parliament on Friday that he spoke with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez raises more questions, given that this rushed deportation followed.

“It is clear that the Rowley regime, in collusion with the Maduro regime, is desperately trying to suppress the facts of the killing in which a baby’s head was blown apart by a member of the Coast Guard. How can there be a transparent and credible investigation into this killing when all the witnesses who were on that vessel save for the child's mother and her young daughter were deported?”

Persad-Bissessar said the deportation showed that the investigation into Santoyo’s death was “nothing but a sham and damage control in the face of international outrage. One can therefore conclude that there will be no justice for baby Ya Elvis Sarabia Santoyo.”