GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyanese legal luminary Dr. Christopher Arif Bulkan was sworn in Thursday as a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), becoming only the third Guyanese to sit on the bench of the regional court.
Dr. Bulkan took the oath of office before President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali during a formal ceremony at the Office of the President in Georgetown. The event was attended by CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson, members of the judiciary, the Guyana Bar Association, and senior government officials.
President Ali hailed the appointment as a moment of national pride and regional significance.
“Justice Bulkan’s distinguished career is a model of public service,” Ali said. “He has served his country in multiple capacities — as a magistrate, appellate judge, scholar, and teacher — advancing the study of constitutional law and public life.”
Dr. Bulkan is one of Guyana’s most respected legal minds and a recognized authority in constitutional and human rights law. He is the first indigenous Guyanese to sit on the CCJ bench, breaking new ground in the regional judiciary.
He holds law degrees from the University of the West Indies, University College London, and York University in Canada. His legal career spans more than 30 years across Guyana, Belize, and the wider Caribbean.
He has served as:
- Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (Guyana)
- Magistrate (Guyana)
- Justice of Appeal (Belize)
- Lecturer in constitutional law at the University of the West Indies
- Vice Chairperson of the United Nations Human Rights Committee
- Current member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
His elevation to the CCJ follows his selection by the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC) in August to fill the vacancy created when Justice Winston Anderson became CCJ President in July 2025.
In brief remarks, Dr. Bulkan vowed to serve “with competence, efficiency, and unwavering integrity.”
He also issued a warning against abuse of power in the justice system.
“Privilege and power have never guaranteed success at the CCJ, and that should mean a great deal to the people of this region,” he said.
President Ali used the occasion to underscore Guyana’s strong commitment to the regional court, calling the CCJ “one of the region’s greatest achievements and a powerful symbol of Caribbean unity, independence, and pride.”
“The CCJ is not an abstraction but a vibrant Caribbean institution, sustained by creativity and intellect and inspired by Caribbean pride,” he said. “It is more than a court; it is a declaration of confidence in ourselves.”
Ali reflected on the CCJ’s origins — conceived by Caribbean leaders in 1970, established in 2001, and inaugurated in 2005 — calling it a “monument to reason, collaboration, and self-determination.”
Guyana was one of the first nations to adopt the CCJ as its final appellate court, and Ali reaffirmed the country’s dedication to safeguarding its integrity and independence.
“Today, with Justice Bulkan’s appointment, we renew our faith in Caribbean justice — administered by Caribbean minds, in our own voice, and guided by our own truths,” Ali said.