Haiti protesters ask international community to stop supporting their president
October 04, 2019 06:33 PM, Updated October 04, 2019 07:27 PM
MIAMI HERALD / JACQUELINE CHARLES
A massive crowd of anti-government protesters in Haiti cranked up the pressure for President Jovenel Moïse to step down Friday, taking their resignation demands to the United Nation’s peacekeeping headquarters in Port-au-Prince, where they asked the international community to stop support the country’s leader.
Tying up traffic in front of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, the demonstrators — who later burned tires in front of the nearby domestic airport while another group made its way to Petionville — were among thousands who took to the streets in a nationwide call against Moïse, whose 32 months in office have been saddled with graft allegations, soaring inflation, a depreciating currency and government ineptness.
Protests were also reported in Jeremie, Léogâne, Mirebalais, Port-de-Paix, Les Cayes and Cap-Haitien.
In a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and delivered to the U.N. by a small delegation, opposition leaders blasted Moïse’s leadership, saying “the people do not recognize him anymore as head of state.” They provided an exhaustive list of issues, from a massacre in La Saline last year, in which two government officials were implicated, to a Haitian court’s audit of misuse of Venezuela’s PetroCaribe oil program, which implicated the president.
“We solicit, in your capacity as Secretary-General of the United Nations, your disassociation from Jovenel Moïse by giving all of your support to the Haitian people,” the letter said. “He doesn’t rule anything and he has no control over the country. He is incapable.”
Guterres’ office, which has mentioned Haiti twice this week during its daily press briefings, did not say anything about Friday’s protest. But during the noon U.N. briefing, spokesman Stephane Dujarric commented about street demonstrations taking place in several countries around the world. The secretary-general was deeply concerned that some of the protests had led to violence and, in some instances, resulted in the loss of life and serious injuries, Dujarric said.
“The Secretary-General restates that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental rights that must be respected,” Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General reiterates his call to security forces to act at all times with maximum restraint and to respond to any acts of violence in conformity with relevant international human rights standards on the use of force by law enforcement officials. He also calls on protesters to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence.”
Ahead of Friday’s protests, Haiti’s National Network for the Defense of Human Rights reported that recent violent protests had left 17 people dead, and 187 injured, including two journalists who were shot.
The human rights group accused police of using repressive tactics and called for an investigation.
On Friday, the massive protests in Port-au-Prince started peacefully but there were violent outbreaks, according to radio reports, when anti-riot officers with the Haiti National Police started firing tear gas.
The effect was so powerful that a nearby hospital sent an SOS alert to journalists, asking police and protesters to respect the perimeter of the hospital. One of its patients, in a coma, could no longer withstand the gas, a doctor said.
Demonstrators in Haiti Are Fighting for an Uncertain Future
October 10, 2019
The New Yorker
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The young men and women demonstrators, when speaking to both local and foreign journalists, sometimes speak of their desire for a tabula rasa. They want a more egalitarian, inclusive, and just society, where the rights of every citizen will be respected. Not just the wealthy and well-connected but the urban and rural poor, too. They want the international community to stop meddling and pushing elections as a vehicle for change, only to rig them and saddle the country with leaders like Martelly and Moïse. They want Haitian-led solutions. They want institutions that work. They want an end to impunity. They want freedom from government and privately funded gangs, who routinely rape women and girls. They ultimately want accountability not just from Moïse but from everyone who has stolen or squandered the Petrocaribe money, which their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will still have to repay.
They must see some parallels between themselves and those taking part in the equally massive, and increasingly violent, protests in Hong Kong, to which the world at least is paying attention. Twenty people were killed and about two hundred injured during the protests this past September. The numbers are likely to increase this month as demonstrations persist and ramp up in intensity. One thing that Moïse said in his dead-of-night speech on September 25th, which all Haitians should be able to agree on, is that “Ayiti pap peri. Ayiti pa dwe peri.” Haiti will not perish. Haiti should not perish. Not over him, or anyone else.
- Edwidge Danticat is the author of many books, including, most recently, “Everything Inside: Stories.”Read more »
NAHOMY OSAKA GIVES UP U.S. CITIZENSHIP TO PLAY FOR JAPAN IN 2020 OLYMPICS.
by Black Cotton Apparel October 10, 2019
Tennis star Naomi Osaka has decided to take sole Japanese nationality over US citizenship with a view to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Two-time grand slam champion Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father but was brought up in the US, told NHK that it gives her "a special feeling to try to go to the Olympics to represent Japan."
According to Japanese law, those with dual nationality must chose one before turning 22 years old. Osaka's 22nd birthday is on October 16.
"I think I will be able to put more of my emotion into it by playing for the pride of the country," she told NHK.
Osaka, who resides in the US, defeated world No.1 Ash Barty in the final of the China Open in Beijing last Sunday.
Her victory, coming after last month's title success at the Pan Pacific Open in Japan, lifted her back to No.3 in the world.
She clinched her maiden grand slam title when she beat Serena Williams int he US Open final last year and backed it up with victory in he Australian Open in January to become one of Japan's biggest and most bankable sports stars.
Osaka, who plays under a Japanese flag on the WTA Tour, made her Fed Cup debut for the country in 2017.
CNN has reached out to the Japan Tennis Association and Osaka's agent for comment.
Rubio on calls for Haitian president to resign: “We are not going to interfere”
October 07, 2019 04:31 PM
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has been one of Haiti’s most vocal supporters — urging the current government to side with the United States against longtime ally and oil benefactor, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, and also warning the Caribbean nation against ditching Taiwan for China.
But on Monday as Haiti entered a fourth week of paralysis over demands forPresident Jovenel Moïse to step down, Rubio said the U.S. has no role to play in the deepening crisis spurred by recurring fuel shortages and allegations of graft and mismanagement of the economy by Moïse.
“My interest in Haiti has always been that it has democracy and elections and rule of law and I will continue to support it in those endeavors. Who they choose as their leader is up to the processes that they run internally,” Rubio told the Miami Herald. “We don’t have a role to play in who resigns and who stays on.”
While Rubio was not mentioned specifically, he’s was among those who pressured Haiti to cut ties with Maduro as he prepared to begin a new six-year term as president. Rubio also took to Twitter to publicly warn Haiti against ditching Taiwan for China, saying in March of last year, “it would inflict real & immediate damage on the U.S. relationship with Haitian govt.”
As chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Rubio’s comments on Haiti came at the end of a speech Monday at an Inter American Press Association conference in Coral Gables, and as Haitians woke up to another day of burning tires, barricaded streets and canceled schools in Port-au-Prince and other cities.
Speaking to a roomful of journalists and news directors from across Latin America, Rubio touched on the crisis happening in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. He said having elections does not turn a country into a democracy, and no country could survive if it’s split into multiple parts.
“You cannot govern in a democracy if there is no consensus,” he said.
Asked later by the Miami Herald if that sentiment also applied to Haiti, where Moïse was forced Monday to cancel a traditional ceremony opening the new judiciary year due to the ongoing political crisis and threats of protests, Rubio said: “That’s an internal matter for Haitians to decide. I don’t think it’s the proper job of the United States to call on a democratically elected leader to step down. That would be interference. Just like it would be wrong for the U.S. to step up and say he should stay.”
Thousands rally against Haitian president, clash with police
By DÁNICA COTO Associated Press
October 04, 2019 07:13 PM
A woman with painted nails leans against a truck as people wait for distribution to restart, after a federal government hand-out of food and school supplies was temporarily suspended when the lines turned into jostling crowds, at the mayor's office in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. The administration of President Jovenel Moise tried to alleviate Haiti’s economic crunch on Thursday by distributing plates of rice and beans, sacks of rice, and school backpacks filled with four notebooks and two pens. Rebecca BlackwellAP Photo
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
Thousands of protesters marched through the Haitian capital to the U.N. headquarters Friday in one of the largest demonstrations in a weekslong push to oust embattled President Jovenel Moïse.
At least two people were shot as police in riot gear blocked the main entrance to the airport and fired tear gas at the crowd, which threw rocks and bottles.
Carlos Dorestant, a 22-year-old motorcycle driver, said he saw the man next to him shot, apparently by police, as protesters dismantled a barrier near the U.N. office.
"We are asking everyone in charge to tell Jovenel to resign," he said, his shirt stained with blood. "The people are suffering."
Several protesters held up signs asking the U.S. for help. "Trump give Haiti one chance" read one, while another quoted a tweet by presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. A third referred to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who discussed the crisis with Haitians in Miami on Thursday.
The unrest on Friday came after almost four weeks of protests in which 17 people have been reported killed, the economy has been largely paralyzed, 2 million children have been kept from going to school and badly needed aid has been suspended, especially to rural areas. The U.S., United Nations and other important international players have yet to drop their support for Moïse, making it appear unlikely that he will step down, despite protests that have made gasoline, food and water scarce in some areas.
"We will continue until Jovenel leaves office," said Sen. Sorel Jacinthe, who was once the president's ally but joined the opposition earlier this year.
The opposition has rejected Moïse's call for dialogue and created a nine-person commission it says would oversee an orderly transition of power, with many demanding a more in-depth investigation into corruption allegations which involve the use of funds from a Venezuela-subsidized oil program. Critics say Moïse has not looked into the former top government officials accused, including ally and former President Michel Martelly.
To protest against the alleged corruption and a shortage of basic goods, Haitians have taken to the streets in force.
Opposition leader and attorney André Michel said the international community should recognize the protesters' demands and blamed Moïse for the country's economic and social problems.
"He has plunged the country into chaos," he said.
Moïse's ally, former Prime Minister Evans Paul, also met earlier this week with the Core Group, which includes officials from the United Nations, U.S., Canada and France to talk about the political situation. He has said that he believes Moïse has two options: nominate an opposition-backed prime minister or shorten the length of his mandate.
Moïse, who owned a company named in the investigation, has denied all corruption allegations. He urges dialogue and says he will not resign.
Laurent Dubois, a Haiti expert and Duke University professor, said there is no clear answer on what might happen next as the turmoil continues.
"The thing that haunts all of this is ... is this going to lead to the emergence of more authoritarian rule?" he said.
Earlier Friday, police fired tear gas at thousands gathered under a bridge to urge the international community to withdraw support for the president. Some demonstrators were carrying guns, machetes or knives.
A police commander could be heard ordering officers to take up their positions.
"It's become more than a protest!" he yelled. At various locations, water cannon trucks were on hand.
Getta Julien, 47, said she had enough of the protests and the president as she stabilized portions of rice, beans and vegetables she had packed into foam containers.
"He has to go," she said. "He's doing nothing for the country. Nothing at all."
Nearby, others cheered as Jacinthe arrived and greeted supporters, including an artist riding a white horse amid burning tires as he carried a large red and black flag that read, "Long live the economic revolution."
One protester, 38-year-old electrician Delva Sonel, said he did not want the international community to interfere.
"We're trying to send a signal to the world that we're not a little country," he said. "We want to tell them to stay out of our business."
Some questioned why international leaders had not spoken publicly against Moïse even as he and his administration face corruption allegations.
"How can they support this government if it represents everything that is wrong?" said Israel Voltaire, a 35-year-old attorney. "With us being a democratic country, it's like we're losing the war."