The Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ) has condemned the deadly attacks at the Kaieteur News in Guyana on Tuesday night, in which four employees were murdered.

In a press statement, the MAJ described the attacks as a dastardly act and has called on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to recognise this as an attack against a fundamental institution in democracy.

A PARTICULARLY PAINFUL BLOW

"We consider a strike against the media anywhere to be a strike against us, but as CARICOM family, we feel this a particularly painful blow," the media group said.

On Tuesday night, 10 men armed with weapons forced their way into the printery of the newspaper, located at Eccles which is south of the capital Georgetown, where they shot five employees execution style. One employee, Shazim Mohammed, originally thought to be dead, is still alive. He, however, remains in an unconscious state.

The MAJ has joined the region's leading press freedom organisation, the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), in condemning the act which has sparked outrage throughout the Caribbean.