In a definitive stance announced Thursday evening, the Guyana government has officially declined to publicize the investigative report concerning the December 2023 helicopter crash that resulted in the deaths of five military personnel. Aviation Minister Deodat Indar addressed the National Assembly, clarifying that the Bell 412Epi helicopter was engaged in an active military mission when it catastrophically crashed in a remote, densely forested region of the country’s interior. Minister Indar emphasized the operation’s classified nature, stating, ‘The flight operation at the time when it happened was a military operation. I repeat. It was a military operation. It was not a civilian flight.’ This declaration came directly in response to calls from opposition leader Amanza Walton-Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement, who accused the government of violating Article 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Minister Indar countered this allegation by invoking the Chicago Convention, which categorizes aircraft utilized in military, customs, and police services as ‘State aircraft.’ He challenged critics to identify any nation that routinely discloses sensitive information pertaining to military operational incidents, framing the decision as a standard matter of national security protocol. This announcement marks the first explicit government position on the long-debated report, which had previously been under review by the Cabinet. The crash claimed the lives of highly decorated servicemen, including Lt. Col. Michael Charles, Retired Brigadier Gary Beaton, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan. Two personnel, Lieutenant Andio Crawford and Corporal Wayne Jackson, survived the incident. Despite international aviation conventions urging transparency, the government maintains that its obligation to protect state and military secrets supersedes public disclosure demands in this specific context.