PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Trinidad and Tobago is marking the 29th anniversary of the attempted coup by members of a Muslim group here with President Paula Mae-Weekes describing the six-day insurrection as the “most brazen assault on our democracy in history”.

But Yasin Abu Bakr, the leader of the Jamaat-Al-Muslimeen group that sought to overthrow the then ANR Robinson government on July 27, 1990, said Saturday that he had no regrets about the event and was prepared to die then as part of what he maintains was a mission to stand up against anarchy.

“What is there to regret? They did all kind of atrocities; they refused to obey the law,” Bakr told the Trinidad Express newspaper.

Bakr led more than 100 members in coordinated attacks on the Parliament and the lone television station. At least 24 people, including one legislator, Leo Des Vignes, were killed during the six-day insurrection that ended on August 1.

Bakr and his men were tried for treason, but the Court of Appeal upheld the amnesty offered to secure their surrender, and they were released.

However, the London-based Privy Council, the country’s highest court, later invalidated the amnesty, but the Muslimeen members were not re-arrested.

In 2010, the then People’s Partnership Government announced that a Commission of Inquiry had been appointed to inquire into the matter with then Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar telling legislators that it was important to hold the inquiry since it would provide an opportunity for healing within the country.

“Better late than never,” she said, but Bakr did not appear before the commission.

But in her message, President Weekes said July 27 “is an opportunity for us all to recommit to our respect for human rights and dignity and to the democratic principles which underpin our nation.

“The bloodshed, fear, and misery of those six dark days, thus far unmatched in the history of the nation, should remain at the forefront of our collective memory to ensure that such an attack never again occurs,” she said.

The head of state, a former judge, said that during the six-day insurrection in which the Jamaat al-Muslimeen laid siege to the country and to the democratic principles “which we hold dear…the nation looked on in horror as, with guns blazing, the insurrectionists assaulted, terrorised, and held captive Members of Parliament and the public.

“When the dust had settled, 24 people were dead, over 200 were injured and millions of dollars in property damage had been incurred in and around the capital city,” she said, noting that despite the great and lasting impact of those six days of terror, “all the names of those who perished are not readily available”.

President Weekes described the attack as the “most brazen assault on our democracy in history,” noting the fact that some victims of the attempted coup remain nameless and faceless “is testimony to our short memories and disregard for human life and dignity.

“By allowing victims of the violence to go unrecognised by the nation, we chance diminishing the weight of the impact of the attempted coup on society and risk becoming immune to brutality in all its forms. Every citizen should be concerned that for such a significant event, there is no official commemoration nor is there an official list of all the casualties.”

She said that the The Office of the President has searched widely but in vain.

“To this day, many survivors of the attempted coup suffer physically and mentally from their experiences during and following the insurrection. Today we recognise the wounded, the bereaved, and those who suffered financial loss.

“We remember also the unsung heroes — the emergency services, many of whom worked long hours without relief; the protective services and mediators who worked tirelessly to end the siege; and the journalists who risked life and limb to update the nation as events unfolded,” President Weeks added.