Guyana Anti Corruption Network

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**GACN Press Officer Mark Jacobs Retains Legal Counsel, Prepares Landmark Case Against President Ali and His Lawyer Selwyn Pieters**

**Georgetown, Guyana** – The Guyana Anti-Corruption Network (GACN) today announced that its Press Officer, **Mark Jacobs**, is engaging legal counsel to initiate formal legal proceedings against Guyana’s President **Irfaan Ali** and his attorney **Selwyn Andrew Pieters**, following a coordinated campaign of legal harassment aimed at silencing anti‑corruption advocacy.

The decision comes after the Law Society of Ontario closed a formal complaint filed by Mr. Jacobs on February 12, 2026, which alleged that Mr. Pieters—acting as legal representative for President Ali—filed baseless copyright infringement claims against Mr. Jacobs, a U.S.-based anti‑corruption activist. In its response, the Law Society characterized the dispute as a “legal issue” that can only be resolved in court. We applaud the Law Society of Ontario for investigating this complaint and for the ruling that this conduct falls within the scope of strictly legal practice.

**Background of the Case**

According to the formal complaint, Mr. Pieters filed copyright complaints with Facebook against Mark Jacobs, falsely claiming copyright ownership over a photograph on behalf of President Ali. The photograph was taken by Royal Family Chief Photographer Aaron Chown in the UK and expressly credited as “Aaron Chown/PA Wire/PA Images.” Mr. Pieters has no proprietary interest in this image, and neither does his client—being the subject of a photograph confers no copyright ownership, a fact any competent lawyer knows. Pieters on behalf of his client President Ali has filed numerous other bogus complaints against Jacobs alleging copyright ownership of images of the President in his official capacity.

As a direct result of these false complaints, **Facebook permanently demonetized Mr. Jacobs’ account**, indefinitely banning him from earning income through ads, subscriptions, or any monetary activity on the platform—inflicting real financial harm that GACN contends was the precise intent: to financially cripple a critic they could not defeat with facts.

**A Pattern of Legal Aggression**

GACN has identified a coordinated legal campaign targeting critics of the Guyana government, with Selwyn Pieters and other state‑aligned lawyers deploying similar tactics across multiple jurisdictions. The pattern includes:

– **Copyright claims against Mark Jacobs (2025‑2026):** Baseless copyright complaints filed with Facebook resulting in permanent demonetization.
– **Defamation lawsuit by President’s mother (2025):** Pieters is representing Bibi Shariman Neshaw Ali, the mother of President Irfaan Ali, in a CAD$15 million defamation lawsuit filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
– **Libel lawsuit by Attorney General Nandlall (2024):** A separate $100 million libel lawsuit filed against the same social media personality in the High Court of Guyana.

“These are not isolated incidents,” said Mark Jacobs. “This is a coordinated strategy of intimidation being used by the Guyana government against citizens exercising their rights. They are using copyright law, defamation lawsuits, and libel claims—in multiple jurisdictions—to silence critics. They filed false copyright claims against me on behalf of the President to financially cripple and silence our anti‑corruption advocacy, while simultaneously filing multi‑million dollar lawsuits against another exiled activist saying things his clients don’t like.”

The Attorney General has openly acknowledged coordinating with U.S. law enforcement to target social media critics, revealing the state’s involvement in what appears to be a systematic campaign of legal harassment.

**GACN’s Legal Action**

GACN is now assembling a legal team to pursue civil remedies against Mr. Pieters and President Ali, including potential claims for:

– **Abuse of process**
– **Malicious prosecution**
– **DMCA fraud** under U.S. law [17 U.S.C. § 512(f)]

GACN is seeking substantial financial damages, including compensation for lost income, punitive damages, and attorney fees—a remedy well-supported by legal precedent. Under Section 512(f) of the DMCA, those who file knowingly false takedown notices are liable for any damages stemming from their misconduct. Courts have awarded significant sums in similar cases, compensating victims for lost work and the time spent responding to bogus claims. Beyond the DMCA, abuse of process and malicious prosecution claims have yielded substantial awards, with juries granting millions in some instances, and courts imposing sanctions exceeding $100,000 against attorneys who abuse the legal system—specifically to prevent “future litigation abuse.” GACN intends to pursue damages of a scale that will not only compensate Mr. Jacobs for the financial harm inflicted, including the permanent demonetization of his Facebook account, but also send an unmistakable message that this pattern of lawfare will not be tolerated and must cease.

The Network has called on other citizens who believe they have been similarly targeted by politically connected lawyers to come forward.

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**About GACN:**
The Guyana Anti‑Corruption Network (GACN) is a non‑governmental organization dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability, and the rule of law in Guyana.