January 2 marked the 40th anniversary of the death of my father William Norton, along with four other policemen and two civilians who were murdered during the Rupununi Uprising in 1969. This letter is my personal tribute to all the victims of this yet unpunished crime, especially my mother, Eileen Norton, who has borne this tragedy with considerable dignity. It is also my personal indictment of the criminal justice system in Guyana at the time, which in my opinion, failed to render justice to the victims.
An undated photo of William Norton

I was three years old at the time of the Rupununi Uprising, the youngest of six children, and over the years, I have read quite a bit concerning the Uprising. In recent months additional information has come to light, some from witnesses, some from political activists with their own political agenda, others from newspaper articles, whose authors have in some instances displayed a shocking lack of sensitivity or even awareness that their articles could be read by the victims of this horrible crime.