The human rights situation in Haiti is reviewed by the Collective Defenseurs Plus, on December 1, 2022

Respect for the right to life, the protection of human rights, the call for the resumption of judicial activities in the courts, are among the points addressed during a press conference presented by Antonal MORTIMÉ, co-director of the Collectif Défenseurs Plus, 1^st December 2022. The need to have a political agreement for a government of consensus with the mandate for the organization of general elections in the country, respect for the rights of migrants Haitians in the Dominican Republic are also highlights of this press conference. This conference is part of the public activities of the Defenseurs Plus Collective, as a prelude to the celebration of International Human Rights Day, on December 10, 2022.

The situation of insecurity in the country is very alarming. Human rights violations have been on the rise since last year. According to Antonal MORTIMÉ, Port au Prince alone has between 5 and 9 deaths per day for the period from January to December 1, 2022. Many of these cases of assassinations are summary executions or political, in other words settling scores, the last of which is the assassination of Harington RIGAUD, divisional inspector and director of the National Police Academy. This blow for the police institution is also shared by the Collective Defenseurs Plus because it is an institution with which we share a very good relationship, hammered Antonal MORTIMÉ. Alongside this case, we can add that of the owner of Emile Market who, for some time, had been the subject of several threats. So, if high-ranking policemen meet such a fate, then what about the subordinates?

The second highlight of the press conference is the situation of our compatriots in the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Brazil, Chile and in several countries of Central America who suffer from large systematic violations of human rights. In the Dominican Republic, a racist campaign against Haitians has been raging for several months. According to some Dominican media, more than 80,000 people were deported and expelled to Haiti. However, Antonal MORTIMÉ maintains that this hype has nothing to do with repatriation which is a legal tool, but a process of forced expulsion. To this end, there have been cases of students torn from their classrooms and patients taken from their hospital beds, or even people who are decapitalized while they owned movable and immovable property in the ground neighbor. These acts are contrary to the memorandum of understanding signed between Haiti and the Dominican Republic on December 2, 1999, to article 22 of the American Convention on Human Rights which provides that no deportation can take place in groups, and also contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which says that in the best interests of children they should not be separated from their parents. Faced with this affront, the Haitian government does not seem to be indignant but rather seeks to manipulate public opinion, while the international community has spoken openly about the situation, for the respect of the rights of Haitians in the Dominican Republic. .

Then, with regard to the functioning of the judiciary, the police, which is the auxiliary of the latter or its armed wing, faces many difficulties such as the lack of equipment and the proliferation of gangs across the country. In some cases, the police institution faces political pressure. The last example in question is the arrest of an alleged bandit from Canaan who had come to collect television sets from the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) for the football World Cup. Since this arrest, the police officers have continued to face threats. In addition to these problems, five (5) public prosecutor’s offices of the 18 jurisdictions of the country are not functioning, as well as the courts of first instance to which they are attached because the judges and the examining magistrates do not go to their place of work. However, they enjoy the privileges attached to their function.

Finally, the file of the various Haitian leaders pinned for reasons such as drug trafficking and financing of banditry in the report of the Canadian and American governments was on the order of this press conference. If for several personalities on the political scene, this coup is a victory, then for the co-director of the Collective Defenseurs Plus, it is only a shame for Haitian society. That said, Mr. MORTIMÉ wonders about the existence of certain institutions such as UCREF, ULCC and CSC/CA which, in their mission, should prevent these acts of corruption and embezzlement.

All in all, this situation in which the country is evolving seems to suit the power in place. Having no mandate, the longer this situation remains the same, the more power believes that it can remain in place. Otherwise he would have already started processes to organize elections in order to put the country back on the democratic track. On behalf of the Collective Defenseurs Plus, Antonal MORTIME, calls on the de facto government to take steps to combat violence and acts of insecurity in Haiti. It also asks political and civil society actors to mobilize to demand the government in place to organize general elections in order to have legitimate authorities in the country.

Done in Port-au-Prince, October 30, 2022

Samendina Lumane JEAN

Communication and Advocacy Manager

Tel: 509 4737 69 60