Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 4 juin 2021

Karine Jean-Pierre White House briefing lauded as historic

BY SAM BOJARSKI MAY. 26, 2021

THE HAITIAN TIMES

Dec. 24, 2020

Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addresses the media May 26. (Screenshot photo)

For the first time as a member of the Biden White House, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stepped up to the podium May 26 with a thick, brown binder for an on-camera briefing with the White House press corps.

She briefed reporters on administration appointments, President Joe Biden’s proposed American Jobs Plan and an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, before fielding questions from reporters on numerous topics.

During the televised briefing, one reporter asked Jean-Pierre to reflect on “making history” as the first Black woman in 30 years to stand behind the White House press podium, on behalf of the president.

“Being in this building is not about one person, it’s about what we do on behalf of the American people,” Jean-Pierre, 46, said in response. “Clearly the president believes that representation matters, and I appreciate him giving me this opportunity, and it’s another reason why we are so proud that this is the most diverse administration in history.”

Prior to the scheduled briefing, Jean-Pierre’s appearance was welcomed by the media and colleagues, including Press Secretary Jen Psaki, as an historic moment. Psaki, who typically briefs the press, has announced she is leaving her role in about a year. The New York Times reported that the televised briefing by Jean-Pierre was seen internally as an audition for the press secretary role.

FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY (May 30th, 2021) +Guy Sansaricq Dt. 4, 32-34+39-40; Ps. 33; Rom. 8, 14-17; Mt. 28, 16-20

Everything in the material world can be described by words. Material objects can be seen, touched, weighed, smelled and tasted. On the contrary, God a spiritual being cannot be experienced by our senses. Therefore He cannot be described by human words. He is invisible, inaccessible to our senses. God is MYSTERY. Through FAITH only can we reach HIM!

In the First reading Moses is heard making this point to the people in the desert. You must obey the Lord even if you do not see him. His MIGHTY DEEDS give evidence of his existence. The second reading speaks about another mighty deed of our God. He pours His SPIRIT upon the believers. He literally adopts us as His Heirs, co-heirs with Christ, the First Son.

From these words and many others flows our faith in the Holy Trinity. God although absolutely ONE has a SON. At the same time HE SENDS what He calls HIS SPIRIT upon his SON and upon us. We may therefore claim that God is FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT.

As we live in communion with Jesus and receive a share of HIS SPIRIT, we can say that our entire spiritual life unfolds within the Son, through the Spirit to the glory of the Father. The teaching on the Holy Trinity highlights God’s love for us who are called to be sharers of his Spirit of life, sons in the SON and therefore GUESTS of his intimate life!

Stop pushing for elections in Haiti, President Biden. They will only make things worse | Editorial

By the Miami Herald Editorial Board

May 29, 2021 04:30 PM

Haiti is a mess. And the Biden administration finally acknowledged that in granting Temporary Protected Status to more than 100,000 Haitians in the United States. President Biden has kept part of his campaign promise and reversed his predecessor’s attempt to terminate TPS, humanitarian relief that has provided a safe haven for tens of thousands of Haitians and Central Americans living in this country.

For that, Biden, whose Department of Homeland Security issued a new 18-month TPS designation to Haitians living in the United States as of May 21, 2021, should be commended. It means that he and his officials have finally heard what immigration activists, clergy, members of the Haitian community in the United States and Haitians in Haiti have been saying for months:Haiti is too dangerous for its nationals to return.

But the administration’s work in that tortured nation is not done. If Haiti is so dangerous and so unstable that the administration has given its U.S.-based citizens a reprieve through TPS, then Haiti also is too dangerous and too unstable to hold credible and secure elections. But the Biden administration has been insisting on them. It should stop.

Not a cure-all

TPS is only a Band-aid solution. Now Congress and Biden must take the necessary next steps to give Haitians not just a permanent solution with a pathway to citizenship in order to remain in the United States, but also the choice to return home in confidence, not fear — because their homeland is safe.

This brings us to the Biden administration’s Haiti policy — or, rather, its lack of a clear policy committed to restoring democracy there.

For months, the administration has been following its predecessor’s mantra of “elections at all costs” by calling on Haitian President Jovenel Moïse to hold legislative and presidential elections this year. But in insisting that elections are the only way forward, the Biden administration has failed to address the stark realities that led to its decision to grant a new TPS designation. Conditions on the ground in Haiti make clear that Moïse cannot hold free, fair and credible elections: serious security concerns, social unrest, human-rights abuses, crippling poverty.

In other words, Moïse, Haiti’s wannabe autocrat, is not governing. He has failed to meet Haitian citizens’ most basic needs. Instead of tackling gang violence that has led to an alarming rash of kidnappings and human-rights violations, Moïse has used the past 16 months of one-man rule to take several unconstitutional actions. They include the creation of a problematic national intelligence agency; the introduction, in the words of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Julie Chung, “dubious definitions of terrorism”; a reduction in the role of key institutions such as the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes, and the removal and replacement of three Supreme Court judges.

He has also pushed a controversial June 27 referendum on the constitution that almost every Haitian constitutional scholar and legal expert has said is illegal. But rather than listen to them, U.S. State Department officials have ignored them. Some in the State Department have reportedly told members of Congress in private that they do not think moving forward with the constitutional referendum is appropriate, they have refused to say so publicly. The administration’s mixed messaging is unhelpful and should stop.

Action, not rhetoric

In a recent address to members of the Haitian diaspora to commemorate the country’s May 18 Haitian Flag Day, Chung said the United States will “unapologetically denounce authoritarianism, impunity, human rights violations and corruption.” We are, right now, calling Chung and the Biden administration on it.

It’s time for Washington to end the rhetoric on Haiti and take real action. It’s time to stop equating democracy solely with elections,and it’s past time to promote and demand good governance. That means that the administration must stop supporting leaders with autocratic tendencies simply because it deems them “democratically elected.” They are just as guilty as their counterparts elsewhere in the hemisphere who trample human rights and promote policies that will keep them in power.

It’s time to support the Haitian people, not just by keeping needed remittances flowing into Haiti as the TPS designation will do, but by also giving Haitians in the United States the real choice to return home if they choose, and real hope that things will get better.

The Biden administration must ask itself: What does it want conditions in Haiti to look like at the end of its 18-month TPS designation? Does it want the number of Haitians coming to our border to have exponentially increased because the country has become even more unlivable following the controversial constitutional referendum? This not only will further derail the possibility of holding free, fair and credible elections, but it will fast track what the Catholic Church has described as Haiti’s “descent into hell.”

U.S. to blame, too

While Biden works to persuade members of Congress to support a pathway to citizenship with his legislation to overhaul immigration, he must also direct his State Department to take a harder look at Haiti and make some real changes. He must do so because the United States has long had a heavy hand in Haiti’s politics and is not immune from blame for what is currently taking place there. It’s also the right thing to do. After all, we once occupied the country for 19 years and, in that process, forced a new constitution to benefit our own desires.

It is time for the Biden administration to also listen to the cries of Haitian families, here and those on the island — who are increasingly becoming kidnap victims — and of the country’s young grassroots activists who have been screaming for a better and free Haiti.

Biden should acknowledge that the first step to a free Haiti is not through insisting on “elections at all costs” but by insisting on good governance. And it should start with the United States openly and unapologetically opposing the June 27 constitutional referendum that, despite whatever good intentions some in the international community may have, will not bring Haiti closer to democracy. Rather, it will pull the country deeper into chaos and authoritarianism.

Permanent Council Good Offices Mission to Haiti

Terms of Reference

The OAS Permanent Council recognizes the serious political, security, and human rights situation in Haiti. In a show of solidarity with the Haitian people, on March 17, the OAS Permanent Council approved by consensus a resolution (CP/RES. 1168 (2315/21) to express its concern for the situation and extend an offer of support as a contribution to resolve the current political crisis in Haiti.

Background

Member States welcomed the participation of the Government of Haiti in this process and emphasized the need for free and fair elections in 2021, preceded by an inclusive dialogue, as essential to allowing Haiti to move forward and achieve a democratic transition of power in both the Presidential and legislative branches. While many in Haiti recognize that it is critically needed, including President Moïse himself, meaningful political dialogue has so far proven unachievable in the face of deepening divisions in the country. This represents a source of significant risk for the electoral process.

Purpose of the Good Offices Mission

As stated in the March 17th resolution, a Good Offices Mission, under the auspices of the Permanent Council, would serve “to facilitate a dialogue that would lead to free and fair elections” in 2021. This would involve meeting with a wide variety of stakeholders from Government, from the broader political class, as well as from civil society, in order to gauge the situation and encourage dialogue that could lead to an accord. The Mission will not engage in mediation.

Timing

The OAS Good Offices Mission should deploy soon due to the deteriorating situation in Haiti. The OAS Good Offices Mission can help promote understanding among key political actors and create conditions for political dialogue in the country. As the security situation in Haiti becomes potentially more challenging and as the country draws closer to the Constitutional referendum set to take place in June, this window of opportunity will gradually close.

The OAS welcomes the invitation from the President of Haiti for the deployment of a Good Offices Mission, with technical support from the OAS Secretariat, as soon as possible.

Composition

The delegation should be composed of five Permanent Representatives, representing distinct subregions of the Hemisphere, and would be established by the Chair of the OAS Permanent Council, in coordination with interested member states. The Chair would designate the leader of the OAS Good Offices Mission.

Member States would also request, through the PC Presidency, the participation of the OAS Secretariat. A representative designated by the General Secretariat should be considered as a possible participantto the mission for follow-up purposes in hand with the good offices of the Special Representative of the OAS Secretary General in Haiti.

Draft Agenda

We propose a two-day visit to Haiti and recommend the following meetings, primarily with Haitian stakeholders:

Meeting with President Moïse, with participation of interim Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Joseph ·

Roundtable with Haitian political actors (majority, moderate, and opposition)

Roundtable with Haitian civil society stakeholders and religious leaders ·

Roundtable with key Haitian private sector representatives (ADIH, AmCham, Franco Haitian Chamber, CCIH, Haitian Chamber of Commerce of Women Entrepreneurs)

Outcomes ·

Issuance of Communique/End of Mission Statement by OAS PC Delegation;

Debrief with the nine OAS member state Chiefs of Mission resident in Haiti (Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, United States) ·

Report presented to the President of the Permanent Council and to the Council itself, with a request that it be submitted to the President of Haiti and made public.

Renewed commitment of all relevant stakeholders in Haiti to an inclusive, democratic process leading to free and fair elections in the coming months.

Working Toward a Democratic and Prosperous Haiti: U.S. Views

Julie Chung, Assistant Secretary of State

Thank you. Good morning. I would first like to wish you a wonderful Haitian Heritage Month. I wish we could be together in person this morning. This month gives us an opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate Haiti’s many contributions to the world, and especially to the United States. Today is also Haitian Flag Day – a day to commemorate the creation of Haiti’s national flag. I recognize you may have other important events to attend, and I know there is a march planned here in Washington, D.C. So I wanted to thank you for taking some time out of your schedules to engage with us on this particularly important day for the Haitian community.

Haiti’s rich history and culture testify to its great strength and limitless potential. Understanding this gives those of us who care deeply about Haiti the inspiration to continue persevering in our work to support Haiti as it struggles to move beyond this long and difficult period of multidimensional crises.

Most of us are familiar with the proverb, “Many hands make light work.” As we consider how Haiti’s splintered political environment has paralyzed the country and threatened the well-being of average citizens, these words seem apt. A shared effort is urgently required. Political and civil society leaders must bridge their divisions to accomplish the higher goal of restoring democracy and stability. The more Haitian leaders from diverse sectors of society participate, the easier this task will be.

Every few years, the world anxiously waits to see whether Haiti can overcome its internal divisions to schedule, organize and hold timely elections that lead to a transition of power between one democratically-elected leader and another democratically-elected leader. It should not be this way. In a representative democracy, the people—the people– possess the right to select the leaders who will legislate and govern on their behalf.

This proposition only works if the people can do so on a regularly recurring basis. In this way, electoral democracy forms the foundation of a stable and prosperous state. Countries around the world, and countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean – countries dealing with security and infrastructure challenges – regularly succeed in doing this despite the problems they face. Countries with serious political divisions overcome their differences to do this – and Haiti can also. Haiti’s history makes it a beacon of freedom and its democracy should not be an exception; it should be an example.

Legislative elections that should have been held in 2019 are long overdue. And, what has been the result of this delay? An unchecked executive power since January 2020, as the lower house no longer exists, and there are too few Senators to reach a quorum. There is no separation of powers and no way for the branches of government to hold one another accountable. This situation calls into question the core precepts of Haiti’s democracy.

More than that, this period of one-man rule by decree has already led to the announcement of a problematic national intelligence agency, the introduction of dubious definitions of terrorism, the reduced role of key institutions like the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes, and the removal and replacement of three Supreme Court judges. The decision to hold a referendum to amend the constitution of 1987 further adds to the controversy, especially without an inclusive and credible consultative process that fully incorporates civil society. Likeminded international partners have joined local voices in expressing these concerns. BINUH tweeted on April 13 that the constitutional consultation process was “not sufficiently inclusive, participatory, or transparent” and called for the Consultative Committee to engage with a wider range of political and societal actors, including women’s and religious groups, across the country. An April 26 Core Group statement by the Ambassadors to Haiti from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France, the European Union, the Special Representative of the Organization of American States, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations all echoed BINUH’s assessment of the consultative process. Haiti’s democracy cannot continue like this.

We believe legislative elections are the democratic way to end Haiti’s prolonged rule by decree, and presidential elections are necessary to transfer power peacefully from one democratically-elected leader to another.

Anyone who follows developments in Haiti can see that there are challenges. I personally observed these challenges during my visit to Haiti in 2019, and I urged President Moise to build a government that could tackle issues such as insecurity, corruption, and a lagging economy. Haiti needs a government with functioning legislative, executive, and judicial branches working to move Haiti forward. This is why we call upon all of Haiti’s political stakeholders to come together and agree upon the necessary mechanisms to hold free and fair elections in 2021 that are credible and reflect the will of the Haitian people.

There are many voices who disagree that the way to fully restore Haiti’s democracy is through free and fair elections, who assert Haiti needs a transitional government to put it back on the democratic path. This may be a tempting notion. But who would those people be? How would they be chosen? To which constituents would they be accountable? As an extraconstitutional governing body, which law would determine their mandate? Would a transitional government prevent further chaos? Would it restore timeliness to Haiti’s electoral calendar?

We have seen this before, and learned there are no shortcuts when building a resilient and lasting democracy.

The needs of the Haitian people are far too pressing for elections to be delayed further. You do not hold elections when it’s convenient; you hold them when they are due. In the United States, even during the most divisive and contentious junctures in our history – economic downturns, protests, natural disasters, a bloody civil war – elections were consistently held so that our republic could continue to progress.

The United States and Haiti are the oldest republics in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is one of our nation’s oldest friends. We share over $2 billion in annual trade. Remittances to Haiti, the majority of which come from the U.S., are equivalent to a third of Haiti’s GDP. The mutual influence of American and Haitian customs and achievements are evident, and fewer than a thousand miles separate our borders.

One major commonality between the people in the United States and Haiti is our devotion to the idea of freedom. Citizens in both countries look back with pride at our forebearers who valued freedom above all else and risked everything to secure this inalienable right. Haitians and Americans fought and died for freedom and set out to design new visions for our respective republics that had never been achieved before.

Centuries later, the Haitian people are still fighting to see a free Haiti – a Haiti that is free from corruption, free from lawlessness, free from kidnappings, free from poverty, and free from unilateral governance.

We hear the demands of the Haitian people for the security, education, healthcare, jobs, transparency, and opportunity they deserve. My colleagues and I have taken the time to listen intently to the thoughts and fears of Haitians in Haiti as well as in the United States. Will a single election be the magic charm that cures all of Haiti’s problems? Absolutely not. And make no mistake – we know how fragile our democracies are. But this does not diminish the fact that Haiti is in dire need of democratic consistency and institutions that serve the people.

When I was in Haiti, I met with inspirational young leaders who each demonstrated an ingenuity, determination, and resilience that should be encouraged and nurtured. The youth are the hope and promise of Haiti, and the opportunities that they are afforded today will impact Haiti’s development for years to come. Prosperity simply cannot be achieved when the fundamental rules of democracy are manipulated or ignored. The creation and preservation of strong, democratic processes and structures are long-term institutional defenses against dictatorship, partisanship, and greed. Without stability and rule of law, Haiti will struggle to attract foreign direct investments and retain its brightest minds.

This is why we choose to invest in Haiti’s people and institutions over individual leaders and personalities. U.S. assistance in Haiti improves access to basic services, including health, water, education, nutrition, and security. In the last decade, the U.S. government has directly contributed billions of U.S. dollars toward the most immediate economic, nutrition, natural disaster, and COVID-19 response needs. In January, we announced an additional $75.5 million toward issues like democratic governance and agricultural development. But our investment in Haiti’s people will only be successful if Haitians also invest in their own democratic governance.

As living bridges between the United States and Haiti, you also have an important role to play in raising your voices to improve and strengthen Haiti’s democracy and economy. You can speak against violence. You can speak against corruption and impunity. You can speak against abuses of power and of civil and human rights. We also hope you will encourage Haiti’s political and civil society leaders to negotiate in good faith to find solutions toward a government that works for all Haitians.

The United States, too, will continue to raise our voice and join like-minded partners and international organizations to revive democracy in Haiti and around the world. We will unapologetically denounce authoritarianism, impunity, human rights violations, and corruption, and we will act against those responsible, as we did by sanctioning three former Haitian government officials in December 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Act. Haiti faces many obstacles on the long and arduous path to lasting stability and prosperity, but by joining together, we collectively make the work lighter and we come closer to reaching our shared goals. Thank you.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 27 mai 2021

HAITIAN RECEIVED TPS for 18 more month

New Designation Allows Eligible Haitians to Apply for TPS and Employment Authorization

WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced a new 18-month designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This new TPS designation enables Haitian nationals (and individuals without nationality who last resided in Haiti) currently residing in the United States as of May 21, 2021 to file initial applications for TPS, so long as they meet eligibility requirements.

“Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “After careful consideration, we determined that we must do what we can to support Haitian nationals in the United States until conditions in Haiti improve so they may safely return home.”

After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Mayorkas decided to designate Haiti for TPS due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Haiti that prevent nationals from returning safely, specifically, a political crisis and human rights abuses; serious security concerns; and the COVID-19 pandemic’s exacerbation of a dire economic situation and lack of access to food, water, and healthcare. The persistent effects of the 2010 earthquake have also exacerbated the severity of the extraordinary and temporary conditions in Haiti currently. The designation of Haiti for TPS also is not contrary to the national interest of the United States. A country may be designated for TPS based upon one or more of the three statutory grounds for designation: ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary and temporary conditions.

It is important to note that TPS will apply only to those individuals who are already residing in the United States as of May 21, 2021 and meet all other requirements. Those who attempt to travel to the United States after this announcement will not be eligible for TPS and may be repatriated. Haiti’s 18-month designation will go into effect on the publication date of the Federal Register notice to come shortly. The Federal Register notice will provide instructions for applying for TPS and employment authorization documentation.

Individuals eligible for TPS under Haiti’s new designation must file an application for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within the registration period that will begin upon publication of the Federal Register notice. This includes current beneficiaries under Haiti’s TPS designation, who will need to file a new application to register for TPS to ensure they do not lose TPS or experience a gap in coverage. Individuals filing for TPS may also request an Employment Authorization Document and travel authorization. All individuals applying for TPS undergo security and background checks as part of determining eligibility.

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano initially designated Haiti for TPS in January 2010 based on extraordinary and temporary conditions within the country, specifically the effects of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. In 2011, Haiti’s designation was extended, and the country was also redesignated for TPS at the same time. Haiti’s designation was subsequently extended again for 18 months in 2013 and 2015, and for an additional six months in 2017.

In January 2018, a Federal Register notice announced termination of Haiti’s TPS designation effective July 22, 2019. Four separate lawsuits challenged that termination. Due to court injunctions and other rulings, TPS for Haiti remains in effect pending case outcomes. Existing TPS Haiti beneficiaries retain their TPS and TPS-related documents through October 4, 2021, and DHS will continue to extend the benefit and documents if required to comply with court orders. These beneficiaries are also eligible to apply under the new designation of Haiti to receive TPS for the entire 18-month period that will be described in the soon-to-be published Federal Register notice.

Family Action Network Movement (FANM) Applauds The Biden Administration’s Redesignation of TPS For Haitians

May 22, 2021

MIAMI, FL- Today, the Biden Administration announced it would redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to eligible Haitians currently residing in the United States. This could allow over 100,000 Haitians to remain in the United States with legal standing. Eligible immigrants have 180 days to apply for TPS and must prove they entered the United States before May 22, 2021. Once granted, their TPS status would last for up to 18 months. FANM applauds this decision and stands ready to assist members with the application process.

A redesignation will benefit Haitians who came to the U.S. after the earthquake. Close to 2000 Haitian refugees/immigrants, including hundreds of children, have been deported on thirty-four flights to Haiti since the beginning of February 2021. In recent months, Haitians have been the victims of violent killings, skyrocketing kidnappings, rape/gender-based violence, and heavy repression from state-aligned forces reminiscent of the Duvalier and other dictatorships in Haiti.

Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM), stated, "We applaud and commend the Biden Administration's decision to redesignate TPS for Haiti. During a recent march in Washington on May 18th and a meeting with White House and DHS officials Thursday evening, I sent a strong message to President Biden that given the deteriorating political situation in Haïti including state sponsored massacres, kidnapping/killing of political opponents , widespread raping of women and girls , it was time to redesignate Haiti for TPS and that “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied.”””

Steve Forester, Immigration Policy Coordinator for the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), said, “Haiti’s redesignation for TPS recognizes that extraordinary conditions of political and social crisis and insecurity make deportations to Haiti unsafe and redesignation appropriate. We applaud the administration, which since February 1 has expelled about 2,000 Haitians on 34 flights, for this long overdue and entirely appropriate action.”

Over the past 4 years, FANM and its partners have built an extensive and sustainable campaign around TPS redesignation for Haïti . Consequently, over 100,000 families and their children will finally have a good night's sleep tonight and this is priceless. We have targeted elected officials, rallied in front of ICE buildings , held press conferences, provided educational resources, launched petitions/ social media campaigns but most importantly, organized members of our community who would directly benefit from TPS.

Ynnocent, an undocumented immigrant from Haiti said, “ I came to the U.S. in 2012 because I was facing political persecution. I’m unable to work to care for my U.S. born daughter because I’m undocumented. I applaud the Biden Administration decision to grant TPS to Haiti because now I and the 100,000 undocumented Haitians will be able to provide for our families.

Contact:

Rhenie Dalger, Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser., 786-280-9062

Mariangela Cordero, Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser., 786-537-3518

Family Action Network Movement (FANM) formerly known as Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc)/ Haitian Women of Miami is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to the social, economic, financial and political empowerment of low to moderate-income families.

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Brooklyn Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegal Distribution of Narcotics

Defendant Prescribed Narcotics to Patients Without a Legitimate Medical Purpose in Exchange for Cash Payments

Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Kesler Dalmacy, a medical doctor, pleaded guilty to illegal distribution of controlled substances. Dalmacy, who operated his medical practice out of an office in East Flatbush, prescribed narcotics to patients outside the course of his professional practice that lacked a legitimate medical purpose in exchange for cash payments. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Ann M. Donnelly.

Mark J. Lesko, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Ray Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), and Kevin P. Bruen, Acting Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP), announced the guilty plea.

“The defendant, a medical doctor who swore an oath to do no harm, spread the scourge of addiction in our communities by writing bogus prescriptions for personal profit,” stated Acting United States Attorney Lesko. “This Office, in partnership with the DEA, HSI, NYPD and NYSP, will spare no effort in combatting the illegal distribution of addictive drugs, and in holding medical professionals like the defendant accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” Mr. Lesko also thanked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement for their assistance during the investigation.

“Another day, another doctor disguised as a drug dealer. The defendant not only prescribed highly addictive controlled substances without a legitimate medical need, but also went out of his way to attempt to evade law enforcement. Today’s plea demonstrates that the defendant is taking responsibility for betraying the trust of his patients, his community, and his oath,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donovan. “I commend the New York Division, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, Tactical Diversion Squad, the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and our many law enforcement partners for their dedication, hard-work, and attention to the investigation and prosecution of this defendant.”

“The opioid epidemic our country continues to battle is exacerbated when unscrupulous individuals seek to profit from those struggling with addiction,” stated HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Fitzhugh. “The defendant exploited the weaknesses of fellow human beings in order to line his own pockets. HSI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our pursuit to safeguard the public and hold individuals like Dr. Dalmacy accountable.”

“The primary work of a medical practitioner is to help patients. The work of this doctor did nothing but harm his victims, with no regard for their health. By taking payment for prescriptions, Dr. Dalmacy put his patients and the community he served at risk. I thank our law enforcement partners involved in this investigation, and together we will work to keep drugs off our streets, prevent prescription drug abuse and senseless deaths,” stated NYSP Acting Superintendent Bruen.

As set forth in the criminal complaint and court filings, between January 2014 and February 2020, Dr. Dalmacy illegally prescribed to patients thousands of pills of highly addictive controlled substances, including Adderall and Vicodin, in exchange for cash payments. Dr. Dalmacy wrote these prescriptions outside the course of his professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. To conceal the unauthorized prescriptions from law enforcement and oversight agencies, Dr. Dalmacy postdated prescriptions and provided multiple prescriptions to the same individual under different or fictitious names.

The arrest of Dr. Dalmacy is the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the DEA. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.

This case is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in this district, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the NYPD and the New York State Police, along with other key federal, state and local government partners, launched the Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called an epidemic increase in the abuse of so-called opioid analgesics. To date, the Initiative has brought over 160 federal and local criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 20 health care professionals; taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy and pharmacy chain; removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors; and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers. The Initiative also is involved in an extensive community outreach program to address the abuse of pharmaceuticals.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julia Nestor and Dylan A. Stern.

The Defendant:

DR. KESLER DALMACY
Age: 70
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-258 (AMD)

John Marzulli United States Attorney’s Office (718) 254-6323

Haiti authorizes use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as deaths, infections rise

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May 19, 2021 02:39 PM,

Haiti has authorized the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as COVID-19 cases surge following months of delays in getting shots to protect against the virus in the troubled Caribbean nation.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, assistant director of World Health Organization’s Americas branch, told journalists Wednesday that the president of Haiti informed them that the country will accept the AstraZeneca vaccine. The government had previously expressed concerns about the shot’s safety following reports of clotting and had banned it from being used, despite being offered free doses.

“Yesterday, we received the confirmation from the minister of health that Haiti is sending a letter to Gavi...confirming that they will receive the 130,000 doses that are available to Haiti,” he said.

Gavi is the vaccine alliance that co-runs the COVAX Facility, a United Nations-backed platform created to get COVID-19 vaccines to middle- and low-income countries. Haiti is among 10 countries in the Americas that qualify to receive free vaccines for 20% of its population, but its government, expressing concern about the AstraZeneca shots, was delayed in fulfilling the necessary steps to allow for its import and distribution.

Haiti’s total allocation under COVAX for its 11.5 million population is 756,000 doses.

The reversal of the Haitian government’s decision comes as the reported number of COVID-19 cases rise there and in several other countries throughout the region, a surge that is leading to panic.

“Three out of the five countries with the highest numbers of new infections are in the Americas,” said Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization. “And many Caribbean islands — like the Bahamas, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago — are seeing COVID deaths double in the last week.”

The country has reported a total of 13,598 confirmed cases and 276 deaths as of May 15, according to the Ministry of Health’s latest report. The numbers, however, are believed to be an undercount, and anecdotally Haitians are reporting an increase in people experiencing fevers. One of the few hospitals treating COVID-19 cases confirmed a spike in hospitalization. Last year, some hospitals shuttered their virus wards because of low demand.

Barbosa confirmed that Haiti is not currently using any COVID-19 vaccines, making it the last country in Latin America and the Caribbean to eventually begin administering shots. While Cuba is working on the creation of its own vaccine and is not part of COVAX, and hasn’t distributed vaccines to the larger population, it is providing shots as part of its initial trial.

Barbosa said that after receiving written confirmation of the approval, his office will start negotiations with the producer to “have this vaccine deployed as soon as possible to the country.”

Haiti’s vaccines were supposed to be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, which was ordered by the Indian government to halt exports of AstraZeneca amid India’s alarming surge in cases. For weeks, representatives of the World Health Organization and others have been in talks with the India government, hoping to allow the pharmaceutical giant to fulfill its manufacturing commitment to COVAX.

On Monday, the head of the World Health Organization, recognizing the surge in cases in India and other hot spots, said there is a shortfall in vaccine supplies and COVAX “is dependent on countries and manufacturers honoring their commitments.”

“Once the devastating outbreak in India recedes, we also need the Serum Institute of India to get back on track and catch up on its delivery commitments to COVAX,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 20 mai 2021

Haiti’s COVID numbers resurging, top public health official says

COVID-19 cases are on the rise and the reported numbers are lagging behind actual cases, the head of Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) said.

Dr. Lauré Adrien, the general director of the MSPP, said the reopening of travel into and out of Haiti has contributed to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. The agency’s official tally lags behind the real-time cases seen at health centers and hospitals.

Nonprofit pairing COVID-19 vaccine with Haitian Heritage festivities on May 15

As part of its 10th annual Haitian-American Heritage and Flag Day celebration, the nonprofit Life of Hope Center seeks to increase vaccination rates among Brooklyn’s Haitian community.

To coincide with a daylong celebration featuring food and live music, Life of Hope is partnering with the New York City Test & Trace Corps to host a mobile vaccine clinic. Vaccines are available by walk-in only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until supplies last.

Haiti hasn’t vaccinated a single person — which puts them and South Floridians in danger

By the Miami Herald Editorial Board

April 09, 2021 01:30 PM,

This editorial has been updated on May 6, 2021 to reflect new information.

Haiti is already plagued by so many issues. Deep political turmoil. Extreme poverty. Armed gangs terrorizing people. A wave of kidnappings for ransom.

And not a single COVID vaccine has been administered in the country.

More than two months after other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean started receiving vaccines through COVAX, a group backed by the World Health Organization, Haiti still hasn’t gotten any.

There are a few reasons. A Miami Herald story on April 9 said factors included the lack of a sufficient health infrastructure, not enough planning, logistical delays and concerns about the safety of AstraZeneca vaccines, which have faced setbacks in the United Kingdom and European Union after blood-clotting worries. More recently, on May 5, a story noted that “legal and administrative arrangements” still must be made.

World events are starting to intervene, too. The explosion of COVID-19 cases in India means that country has halted its exports of the AstraZeneca vaccines. The Serum Institute of India was supposed to send about a billion doses to COVAX, the United Nations-backed alliance helping poorer nations obtain the life-saving shots. Haiti was in line to get 756,000 doses by the end of May but that’s been cast into doubt.

The result is that a country of about 11 million people still hasn’t even begun to vaccinate its population. That’s not good for Haitians on the island, and because of Haiti’s close ties to South Florida, that’s not good for us, either.

So far, Haiti appears to have been lucky. The country allowed the three-day Carnival celebration to go on in February this year, even though the pre-Lenten celebration was barred in other countries across the region because of the pandemic. Many residents still do not wear masks.

Yet the country’s official COVID-19 numbers, if they are to be believed, have been remarkably low. Haiti has registered 13,164 confirmed cases and just 263 deaths since March 2020.

In a country with scarce medical facilities, those numbers are probably far from accurate, but, even so, it seems that Haiti has not been a hotspot of infection. If so, it is truly a blessing in a country that needs every blessing it can get.

But Haiti is going to need more than that. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in more than a year of this pandemic, it’s that the virus isn’t easily defeated. It’s mutating, and some of those variants are more contagious and may cause more severe disease.

Cost isn’t a factor. Haiti is among 10 countries in the Americas that will receive vaccines for 20 percent of its population for free through COVAX.

The responsible thing for Haiti to do is get vaccines into as many arms as possible — quickly — so infections don’t suddenly blow up.

Haiti’s foreign minister, Claude Joseph, told the Editorial Board last month that Haiti wants to recast the prevailing narrative about the country, starting with free, fair and safe elections this year. President Jovenel Moïse has been ruling without a parliament for more than a year. A peaceful and speedy transfer of power would certainly go a long way toward changing Haiti’s image.

But elections are still months off. Vaccines are available now. It’s time for the government to be open and honest about the reasons Haitians still don’t have access to them. It’s time to get vulnerable people vaccinated.

The Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO, the WHO’s Americas branch, told Herald Caribbean correspondent Jacqueline Charles this spring that Haiti and the international community have been working hard to get vaccines there as soon as possible. But PAHO also has said that if Haiti rejects its free vaccines, those doses will be sent to another country.

We understand the Haitian government has many problems to solve. But a lack of vaccines doesn’t have to be one of them — and it shoudn’t be. If Haiti wants to change its narrative, it needs to tell its citizens — and the international community — why it hasn’t begun vaccinating its citizens against the terrible scourge of COVID-19.

Joseph said that “2021 is a crucial year for Haiti.” We couldn’t agree more. Getting vaccines to the people now is the perfect place to start — and it’s already overdue.

Kerby Jean-Raymond will be the first Black American designer to present at Paris Haute Couture

By Kristen Rogers for CNN

Kerby Jean-Raymond will become the first Black American designer to present at Paris Haute Couture Week, a significant moment in his ascent within the fashion industry.

His fashion label Pyer Moss, which has been invited to be a guest member of the official Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, will show its first couture collection in July.

The historic first comes amid ongoing conversations about how the fashion industry can combat racial prejudice and disparities within its own ranks and more broadly.

In an interview with CNN Style in 2019, Jean-Raymond described Pyer Moss as an “art project that operates in the fashion space.” The brand, which he founded in 2013, embraces the power of fashion as a storytelling device, often weaving theater, activism and social commentary into its collections and runway shows.

Jean-Raymond’s 2018 project “American, Also,” was a three-part retelling of the American story, which included the history of Black cowboys, as well as the daily experiences of Black families. For the latter, artist Derrick Adams created 11 artworks that reflected Black life, which Jean-Raymond turned into garments shown at New York Fashion Week.

Mayor’s office: Thousands can gain residency, citizenship from Biden reforms

Haitian Times

Immigration bills introduced by President Joe Biden this year could provide permanent residency or citizenship status to thousands in New York City’s community of more than 3 million immigrants.

“It’s a very exciting moment and one that we know has been met with the introduction of incredibile pathways to citizenship that we hope will be realized,” said Bitta Mostofi, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), in a May 6 press briefing.

The Citizenship Act of 2021 creates a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and the American Dream and Promise Act offers Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders an opportunity to receive permanent residency status. Neither bill has passed the United States Congress to become law. But according to recent data from MOIA and research organizations, tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants would directly benefit from the legislation, based on their immigration status.

“We estimate that up to 476,000 New Yorkers could benefit from [the Citizenship Act] should it pass Congress,” said Mostofi, speaking about the overall impact of the legislation. Up to 100,000 could become eligible for permanent residency through the Dream and Promise Act, she also said.

Each spring, MOIA publishes a “State of Our Immigrant City” report, which relies on U.S. Census numbers from the previous year to estimate immigrant populations. The 2020 report indicates a population of 83,384 Haitian immigrants, an increase from the 80,900 reported in 2019.

This population, which includes naturalized citizens, legal permanent residents, TPS holders and the undocumented, represents 2.8% of all foreign-born New York City residents. Haitians make up the eighth-largest group citywide.

Kerby Jean-Raymond will be the first Black American designer to present at Paris Haute Couture

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f55109b7288f8db39dd38dec657f29bd?s=80&d=mm&r=g" width="80" height="80" />BY THE HAITIAN TIMESMAY. 14, 2021

By Kristen Rogers for CNN

Kerby Jean-Raymond will become the first Black American designer to present at Paris Haute Couture Week, a significant moment in his ascent within the fashion industry.

His fashion label Pyer Moss, which has been invited to be a guest member of the official Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, will show its first couture collection in July.

The historic first comes amid ongoing conversations about how the fashion industry can combat racial prejudice and disparities within its own ranks and more broadly.

EU: No Funding or European Observers for Referendum in Haiti

AFP / PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - The European Union announced Thursday that it would neither finance the organization of the referendum scheduled for June 27 in Haiti nor send observers for this election, deeming the process insufficiently transparent and democratic in a country plagued by insecurity and political instability.

"The conditions for financial and technical support for the organization of the elections are absolutely not met at this stage, so we have refused to contribute to this process as it is," said the ambassador of the European Union to Haiti, Sylvie Tabesse.

"We consider that the process does not give all the guarantees of transparency and democracy that we would be entitled to expect, therefore … if the [Haitian] government asked us, we are not considering to respond positively for an observation mission," added the diplomat during a meeting with several journalists in the Haitian capital.

Since January 2020, President Jovenel Moise has governed by decrees and without checks and balances because of the lack of elections in recent years.

The president has drawn up a busy electoral calendar for 2021. In addition to the presidential, legislative and local elections in the fall, he wants to submit to a popular vote a project for a new constitution.

Last week, the United States renewed its call for the organization of elections in Haiti while affirming its opposition to a constitutional change.

Despite these reservations from the international community, the Haitian government refuses to give up its project.

"A referendum is an act of sovereignty. It mainly concerns Haitians: It is they who decide whether or not they want a referendum to change the constitution," Haitian Prime Minister Claude Joseph said Tuesday.

The organization of this election stirs criticism even in Moise’s camp because the chosen procedure does not seem to respect the provisions of the current constitution.

Written in 1987, after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship, the text currently in force declares that "any popular consultation aimed at modifying the constitution by referendum is formally prohibited."

The grip of gangs in the country has worsened in recent months, allowing an upsurge in kidnappings for ransom in Port-au-Prince and in the provinces.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 5 mai 2021

Kidnappers release 6 Catholics, others

BY THE HAITIAN TIMES APR. 30, 2021

At least nine people kidnapped were set free separately on Thursday in Port-au-Prince, including the six remaining Catholics that “400 Mawozo” gang members took hostage earlier this month.

Reports did not mention whether a ransom was paid for any of the victims.

The Catholics, initially a group of 10, were kidnapped in Croix-des-Bouquets, a town six miles from Port-au-Prince April 11. One worshipper was released days later after the gang members received USD $50,000, according to local reports. The gang members set free three more worshippers a week ago without ransom.

The churchgoers included five priests, two nuns and three members of a priest’s family. One priest and one nun are of French nationality.

Also released Thursday are Youri Dérival, a psychology student, Marie Josette Malvoisin, a professor and Manuel Gaston Orival, a former police commissioner.

Orival was kidnapped on Tuesday in his home at Avenue Pouplard in Port-au-Prince. News of his release brought much relief and joy to his neighborhood. Source

US House Foreign Affairs Committee : « No elections under the current administration in Haiti will be free, fair, and credible »

26 avril 2021

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Hakeem Jeffries, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, co-led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraging the United States to reassess its policies in Haiti.

The letter, signed by 68 members, including every Democrat on the Western Hemisphere subcommittee, calls on the Biden administration to withhold funding for the constitutional referendum proposed by Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and warns of the dangers of pushing forward with flawed elections later this year.

“Listen to the voices of Haitian civil society and grassroots organizations, who have been clear that no elections under the current administration in Haiti will be free, fair, and credible. The State Department should instead focus on the underlying democratic legitimacy issues identified by Haiti’s civil society and support a Haiti-led process for change. Elections held without meeting internationally accepted standards for participation and legitimacy will only further undermine faith in democratic governance, waste scarce resources and perpetuate a cycle of political instability and violence.”

The full text of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We write to express our serious and urgent concerns regarding the quickly deteriorating situation in Haiti. Although we appreciate your personal engagement with Haiti, and the State Department’s recent criticism of some of the unconstitutional actions by the administration of President Jovenel Moïse, we believe it is past time for a more significant review of U.S. policy in Haiti. We look forward to working with you to make this a reality.

We encourage you to support the sovereignty of the U.S.’s oldest neighbor in the hemisphere by reaffirming the U.S. commitment to the principles of democracy and rule of law. The Biden Administration inherited a multifaceted crisis (constitutional, human rights, economic, social) that the actions of the previous administration exacerbated. However, we must also recognize that the crisis of today did not start yesterday. For decades, the international community has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help Haiti achieve political stability and a representative democracy. In order to move forward more productively, we must acknowledge that these efforts have failed to achieve their desired results, and that continuing along the same path will only exacerbate the situation.

Nationwide unrest and political turmoil have increased significantly since 2018 and have brought about severe instability and political violence. In January 2020, the mandates of all but 10 members of the Haitian Parliament and all Haitian mayors were terminated due to delayed elections, leaving President Jovenel Moïse to run the country without any legislative oversight. He has since abused his rule by decree powers in direct violation of the Haitian Constitution.

As a result of the political instability, a crashing economy, lockdown from protests, and street gang violence, the Haitian federal government is failing to meet even the most basic needs of its citizens. The Moïse administration lacks the credibility and legitimacy to oversee a constitutional referendum scheduled for June 2021 or to administer elections that are free and fair. The proposed constitutional reform, which legal experts maintain is unconstitutional, would further concentrate executive power.

Parliamentary, local, and presidential elections set for Fall 2021 could increase the risk of violence throughout the country significantly. We are also concerned about inclusiveness of elections, lack of preparedness of electoral institutions to hold elections, as well as the unconstitutional composition of the provisional electoral council. Further, we are deeply concerned by the risk of gender-based violence against Haitian women and girls, as increased political violence and a weak legal system foster widespread impunity for heinous gender-based crimes.

Despite this alarming situation, the State Department has been insistent, both in public and in private briefings with members, that elections – now scheduled for later this year – are the only path forward. While elections will clearly be needed in the near future to restore democratic order, we remain deeply concerned that any electoral process held under the current administration will fail to be free, fair, or credible and that continued U.S. insistence on elections at all costs will only make this outcome more likely. President Barack Obama’s former Ambassador to Haiti, Pamela White, made clear during her testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in March that legitimate elections are not possible in the current context. Witnesses from Haitian civil society agreed strenuously.

Considering these factors, we urge the State Department to:

Make clear that the U.S. will not provide any support, financial or technical, to facilitate the proposed constitutional referendum, including through multilateral institutions. We take note that, in briefings with members, Department of State officials have said they do not think moving forward with the referendum is appropriate. However, both the Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations mission in Haiti (BINUH), have offered vocal support for the process. We urge the Department of State to use its voice and vote within these institutions to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars are not spent in support of this referendum.
Listen to the voices of Haitian civil society and grassroots organizations, who have been clear that no elections under the current administration in Haiti will be free, fair, and credible. The State Department should instead focus on the underlying democratic legitimacy issues identified by Haiti’s civil society and support a Haiti-led process for change. Elections held without meeting internationally accepted standards for participation and legitimacy will only further undermine faith in democratic governance, waste scarce resources and perpetuate a cycle of political instability and violence.
Clearly identify and communicate to Congress what specific metrics you will use to evaluate whether Haiti’s elections will be free and fair, including a realistic timeline for achieving those necessary predicates.
Refrain from opining on constitutional interpretations in Haiti, specifically regarding the dispute over the mandate of Mr. Moïse. We note that myriad legal experts in Haiti, including the Federation of Haitian Bar Associations, and a broad cross-section of civil society have offered a different interpretation to that of the Department of State. Rather than taking sides in an internal political dispute, the U.S. must listen to and recognize all voices. It is the Haitian people who will determine the legitimacy of their leaders, and not any foreign government.
Promote the protection of human rights and the rule of law by enforcing Global Magnitsky Act sanctions on individuals credibly implicated in abuses. We take note of the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions on three individuals, including two former government officials, for their role in the La Saline massacre this past December. This positive development must be expanded upon further.
Combat corruption and impunity by tasking U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to investigate compliance with U.S. tax laws on the part of Haitian politicians and private sector actors with interests in the U.S. Such an investigation should also look at the use of U.S. financial institutions in money laundering operations as well as the networks that traffic arms and drugs through Haiti.
Support the redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian migrants living in the U.S. and put a temporary freeze on all Title 42 related expulsions to Haiti. We note that, amid the current political crisis, the Department of Homeland Security has expelled more than an estimated 1,500 individuals to Haiti just since early February, despite awareness that those returned to Haiti “may face harm.” It is vital that the U.S. comply with U.S. and international legal obligations and allow all migrants access to the asylum system.
Refocus and reform U.S. policy in Haiti through the appointment of a trusted and credible actor to serve as Special Representative for Haiti. Such a position could oversee a top-to-bottom review of U.S. foreign assistance, as well as work to bring disparate actors, both within Haiti but also within the international community, together with the view towards supporting a Haitian-led strategy of democratic development. A high-level appointment would not only open channels for communication within your Department but send a clear message about Haiti’s importance to you and to the rest of the Biden administration.
Hold high-level consultations with Haitian civil society and diaspora groups to hear their concerns and recommendations for a democratic path forward.

We thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to your response.

‘Descent into hell’: Kidnapping explosion terrorizes Haiti

A wave of kidnappings is sweeping Haiti. But even in a country growing inured to horrific abductions, the case of five-year-old Olslina Janneus sparked outrage.

Olslina was snatched off the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince in late January as she was playing. The child's corpse, bearing signs of strangulation, turned up a week later, according to her mother, Nadege Saint Hilaire, a peanut vendor who said she couldn't pay the $4,000 ransom. Saint Hilaire's cries filled the airwaves as she spoke to a few local radio stations seeking help raising funds to cover funeral costs.

Saint Hilaire is now in hiding after receiving death threats, she said, from the same gang that killed her daughter. "I wasn't supposed to go to the radio to denounce what had happened," she told Reuters.

Police in her impoverished and crime-ridden neighborhood, Martissant, told Reuters they were investigating the case.

Haiti’s epidemic of kidnappings is the latest crisis to befall this Caribbean island nation of around 11 million people, roiled by deepening political unrest and economic misery. Kidnappings last year tripled to 234 cases compared to 2019, according to official data compiled by the United Nations.

The real figures are likely much higher because many Haitians don't report abductions, fearing retribution from criminal gangs, according to attorney Gedeon Jean, director of the nonprofit Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research in Port-au-Prince. He said the research center recorded 796 kidnappings last year.

Haiti's national police force did not respond to a request for comment. President Jovenel Moise has said repeatedly that his government is doing all it can, and has put more resources into anti-kidnapping efforts. Still, he publicly acknowledged on April 14 that “kidnappings have become generalized” and that efforts to combat persistent insecurity have been "ineffective."

Human rights activists and a new report from Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic allege that Moise’s government has allied itself with violent criminal gangs to maintain its grip on power and to suppress dissent. Opposition groups have called for Moise to resign and hand power to a transitional government that would delay presidential and legislative elections slated for September until the nation is stable enough to ensure a free and fair contest.

Haiti’s acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph denied those allegations and the report's findings. He said anti-democratic forces are whipping up violence to destabilize Moise's administration in an election year. “They are fomenting the gangs to stop there being elections,” Joseph told Reuters.

Criminals have targeted some poor people, like Saint Hilaire, for modest sums. Many more victims come from the ranks of the Haitian middle class - teachers, priests, civil servants, small business owners. Such targets aren't rich enough to afford bodyguards but have enough assets or connections to scrape up a ransom.

In one of the most high-profile recent cases, five Catholic priests, two nuns and three laymen were kidnapped on April 11 in the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, northeast of the capital. Four members of the group were subsequently released and six are still missing, according to an April 25 statement by the Society of Priests of St. Jacques, a French missionary society linked to four of the kidnapped priests. An official with that group declined to comment on whether a ransom was paid.

“For some time now, we have been witnessing the descent into hell of Haitian society,” the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince said in a statement earlier this month.

‘KILLING THE ECONOMY’

Haiti last experienced a major surge in kidnappings and gang violence after a rebellion toppled then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004, prompting the United Nations to send in a peacekeeping force.

The departure of that force in October 2019 was followed by a resurgence in gang crime, according to human-rights activists, who say kidnapping has proven lucrative at a time when Haiti's economy is teetering.

Rights activists say politics also play a role. They allege Moise’s government has harnessed criminal groups to terrorize neighborhoods known as opposition strongholds and to quell public dissent amid street protests that have rocked the country the past three years.

The report released April 22 by the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School alleges “high-level government involvement in the planning, execution and cover-up” of three gang-led attacks on poor neighborhoods between 2018 and 2020 that left at least 240 civilians dead. The report relied on investigations of the attacks by Haitian and international human rights experts. It alleges the government provided gangs with money, weapons and vehicles and shielded them from prosecution.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury in December sanctioned reputed Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier and two former Moise administration officials - Fednel Monchery and Joseph Pierre Richard Duplan - for helping orchestrate one of the attacks. All three have denied wrongdoing.

Kidnapping is an outgrowth of impunity for criminal organizations, according to Rosy Auguste Ducena, program manager of the Port-au-Prince-based National Network for the Defense of Human Rights.

"We are talking about a regime that has allied itself with armed gangs," Ducena said.

Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent denied any government alliance with gangs. He told Reuters in December that the wave of kidnappings was the work of political enemies seeking to undermine Moise "by creating a sense of chaos."

The rise in kidnappings has petrified many Haitians. The heads of seven private business associations this month issued a joint statement saying they had reached "a saturation point" with soaring crime. They endorsed a nationwide work stoppage that occurred on April 15 to protest Haiti’s security crisis.

"Kidnapping is killing the economy," said Haitian economist Etzer Emile. He said the tourism and entertainment sectors have withered.

Moise's administration says it is working hard to end the terror. Two years ago it revived a commission aimed at disarming gang members and reintegrating them into society. Over the past year, the government has increased the police budget and solicited advice from Colombia, which once battled its own kidnapping epidemic. In March, Haiti created an anti-kidnapping task force to attack the problem with tactics such as tracing laundered ransom money.

Still, four policemen died last month in a gun battle with alleged criminals in a slum where kidnapping victims are often held. The government declared a month-long state of emergency in gang-controlled neighborhoods. Yet abductions continue to mount.

Moise, who has opted not to seek re-election this September, has defied the opposition's calls for him to step down early. On April 14 he issued a statement saying he aimed to form a government of national unity to better tackle the "pressing problem of insecurity."

HOODS, GUNS AND TORTURE

Many Haitians remain skeptical - and on edge.

One victim was a 29-year-old doctor. He was kidnapped in his own vehicle last November after leaving the Port-au-Prince hospital where he had just finished an overnight shift. He told Reuters his story on condition of anonymity.

At dawn, four armed assailants hustled him into the back seat, threw a hood over his head and held him at gunpoint as they drove, he said. His captors eventually tossed him into a room with three other abductees - a man and two women - who had been snatched earlier.

The physician said his kidnappers ordered him to phone his family to request $500,000 for his release. The first two people he tried said they couldn’t pay. The kidnappers slapped him and delivered a threat.

"They said that if I called a third person that didn't give me a satisfying response, they would kill me," he said.

The doctor's girlfriend said she and three friends negotiated with the gang. She wouldn't say how much they paid, fearful of becoming targets for other criminals.

The doctor said he reported his abduction to Haiti's national anti-kidnapping police unit. That unit did not respond to requests for comment.

The physician does not know the fate of his fellow abductees. He said the kidnappers poured melted Styrofoam on their skin because their families had yet to pay up.

Saint Hilaire, the mother of the young girl who was kidnapped and murdered, said she continues to watch her back after speaking publicly about the abduction.

The kidnappers “told me to make sure I never ran into them, because they would kill me,” she said.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 29 avril 2021

PHTK, Moise’s political party, opposes upcoming referendum

Liné Balthazar, president of the PHTK, said the political party rejects the constitutional referendum planned for June 27.

Balthazar said logistically, the process will be a fiasco, that the draft Constitution is a reproduction of an authoritarian model and that no consensus has been reached. Several other political parties have also opposed the referendum, which Haiti president Jovenel Moïse has organized.

The PHTK is the political party that brought Moïse to power in 2016. It is unclear what the party’s stance may mean for Moïse’s standing in the party.

Haiti’s Catholic Church begins speaking out amid swirling crises

Agence France-Presse

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Might the Catholic Church help chart a way out of the multiple crises facing Haiti?

By openly criticizing governmental “inaction” and demonstrating last week its capacity for wide-scale mobilization, the church has made clear it plans to take a more direct role in addressing the daunting challenges facing this small Caribbean island.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is grappling with multiple crises including out-of-control gang violence and months of political instability.

In recent days, Haiti’s Catholic Church has found itself thrust into the spotlight over the still-unresolved abduction of 10 people, including seven Catholic clergy.

The shocking kidnapping on April 11 sent shock waves across the island and beyond.

It was the final straw for many increasingly exasperated Haitians, forcing Jovenel Moise, the country’s widely criticized president, to announce on Wednesday a reshuffling of the government.

Official ‘impotence’

“The Catholic Church can help bring about change. The country needs it,” said Andre Michel, a member of the opposition.

Catholicism is the dominant religion in Haiti.

The church “enjoys great confidence among the majority of the population,” said Haitian Cardinal Chibly Langlois, in an exclusive interview with AFP a few days after Moise named Claude Joseph as the new prime minister.

In difficult moments, the cardinal said, people expect “a word from the Catholic Church,” as it stands with them “in the most abandoned and remote parts of the country.”

Denouncing the “impotence” of the authorities in the face of a troubling spike in kidnappings, Langlois said an effective means had to be found to “stem this crisis.”

While emphasizing that church officials are “not in a position for now to play the role of mediator,” Langlois — the first Haitian cardinal — said he was weighing “other means to help find a solution to a crisis that has gone on too long.”

In 2014, at a time of high tension, the cardinal took part in talks between the executive branch and political parties.

On Thursday, the church, joined by many businesses and schools, observed a work stoppage to demand the liberation of the hostages — among them five Haitian clergy members, and a French priest and a nun — bringing economic activity to a standstill.

Catholic masses have quickly been transformed into a protest movement against the authorities.

By launching this national movement, the Catholic Church has proved “its importance in a country with a strong religious tradition,” said Reginald Boulos, a businessman and political figure who sees the church as “a moral force.”

‘Descent into hell’

On Monday, the archdiocese of Port-au-Prince issued a statement deploring “the descent into hell of Haitian society” and denouncing as unprecedented the “violence of armed gangs.”

It added that the “public authorities” were not “immune from suspicion.”

This more direct approach by Catholic officials “may offer some hope of resolving this crisis,” said sociologist Auguste D’Meza. But he added that the church alone “is not strong enough to play an important role in this transition.”

The church hierarchy in Haiti has long been dominated by French priests. In the 1950s they engaged in a power struggle with Haiti’s former “president for life,” Francois Duvalier.

“Papa Doc” Duvalier had revived the island’s voodoo traditions as part of a fierce assault on Haitian Catholicism, finally obtaining from the Vatican the power to name the Catholic hierarchy, helping to consolidate his authoritarian regime.

That opened an era of church subordination to the state, which continued during the reign of his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as “Baby Doc.”

But under Pope John-Paul II, the Catholic Church sided with the forces of change that eventually led to the downfall of the Duvalier dynasty.

So with its recent criticism, the church has returned to the more forthcoming attitude of the early 1980s, D’Meza said.

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Kidnappers release all but two captives

All but two of the 10 people kidnapped on April 11 have been released. The last two captives are a French nun and a French priest - abducted in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets.

The attack happened when the Catholic clergy were on their way to the installation of a new parish priest.

A police source told AFP that a gang calling itself 400 Mazowo was most probably behind the abduction.

Kidnappings have surged in Haiti, with the Catholic Church describing the situation as "a descent into hell".

Roman Catholic institutions including schools and universities closed Wednesday across Haiti in a three-day protest to demand the release of five priests, two nuns and three other people kidnapped more than a week ago amid a spike in violence that the government is struggling to control.

Catholic officials also organized Masses to pray for those kidnapped — at least two of whom are French — as they tolled the bells at noon at St. Pierre church in Pétionville, where hundreds gathered to show their support.

“No one is safe,” said 65-year-old Margaret Jean Louis. “I’m hoping the people kidnapped will make it out safely.”

The April 11 kidnapping of the priests, nuns and three relatives of one of the priests in the capital of Port-au-Prince is one of the most shocking recent abductions in Haiti, which saw a 200% increase in kidnappings last year, according to the United Nations.

Those kidnapped were identified as nuns Anne-Marie Dorcelus and Agnès Bordeau, priests Michel Briand, Evens Joseph, Jean-Nicaise Millien, Joël Thomas and Hugues Baptiste and three relatives of another priest. Briand was identified as French.

Critics Say The U.S. Isn't Doing Enough To Help Haiti With Its Deteriorating Security

Carrie Kahn

NPR

Heavily armed gangs are fueling a crippling spasm of crime in Haiti. Kidnappings have more than tripled in the last year. Five priests and two nuns are among those most recently abducted, sparking protests by the Catholic Church on the Caribbean island. Critics charge the U.S. is not doing enough to find a solution out of Haiti's current crisis.

Bells in churches across Haiti rang out at noon as an act of protest. Catholic leaders have closed all their schools and other businesses for three days.

But pews are full with parishioners praying for peace in the capital. Smith Silvera was one of the faithful who came to a recent Mass. "They may kill me today, but nobody can live in this situation anymore," said Silvera. "We must have liberation and freedom for all."

Gangs have taken control of many areas of Port-au-Prince, unleashing a spate of brazen kidnappings and attacks that has shocked Haitians, even those accustomed to the country's high crime rate. This month, armed gunmen burst into a church, snatching the pastor and three other people during a Mass streaming over the Internet; the director of an orphanage says gang members broke in, sexually assaulting two girls; and seven Catholic officials, two of whom are French, were abducted nearly two weeks ago. Their kidnappers demand a million-dollar ransom.

Kesnar Pharnel is an economic consultant and radio host in Port-au-Prince. “Difficult is an understatement in Haiti right now,” he said. “Because people - we are so desperate. We don't know what's going on. We are living under a very stressful situation right now in Haiti.”

Haiti's spiraling violence and continual political turmoil have left the economy in shambles. The U.N. has warned that more than 4.4 million Haitians don't have enough food. Opponents want current president Jovenel Moise out. They insist his term ended in February, but Moise says he still has another year because he started his term late. The U.S. has backed that claim. Moise says the way out of this crisis is through a referendum this June on a new constitution. Velina Elysee Charlier, an activist in Haiti, says that constitution would just give him more powers.

“Not only is it illegal, but it has no credibility, no trust from us the people,” said Charlier. She added that Moise's attempt to reform the constitution is a clear power grab. “We do not have a constitution problem in Haiti. We have an impunity and corruption problem in Haiti.

The country is not capable of holding credible elections anytime soon, says political science professor at the University of Virginia, Robert Fatton. “The idea of having elections at this time, you know, is absolutely crazy. You can't have elections given the conditions in Haiti.”

Opponents want a transitional government to take over. It's unclear what the Biden administration is going to do. For now, it backs Moise. Fulton Armstrong, a former national intelligence officer for Latin America, says that's a mistake.

“We dash over to the person that promised us the greatest stability, that promises the most expedient solution rather than the solution that's going to lead to a better outcome over the longer term,” he said.

Observers warn of a migrant crisis if conditions don't improve soon. This week, two boats packed with nearly 400 Haitians were intercepted off waters north of the island.

Saint-Fleur sworn in as council member in Miami Shores, first Haitian-American

BY ONZ CHERY APR. 22, 2021

More by Onz Chery

Katia Saint-Fleur, Miami Shores' first ever Haitian-American council member. Katia Saint-Fleur's Facebook Images

Katia Saint-Fleur highlighted her Haitian-American immigrant roots in a speechafter she was sworn in as a council member in Miami Shores Tuesday.

“To be able to live in a country where you can be the daughter of immigrant parents who worked as hard as my parents have worked, to live in a community you dreamed of living in as a child and now to represent that community as a council member is something that I will never forget,” Saint-Fleur said during the ceremony at Miami Shores Village Community Center.

Saint-Fleur said she will also never forget how the Miami Shores residents rooted for her and trusted her.

Miami Shores has about 10,000 residents with 14 percent of them being Black and 70 percent white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The village is about two miles from Little Haiti.

Four candidates ran to fill three seats on the Miami Shores’ five-member council. Saint-Fleur finished third in the voting, accumulating 1,037 votes, just 22 votes more than the fourth-place runner, Jonathan Meltz.

The top two vote-getters became mayor and vice-mayor. Sandra Harris, who received the most votes, became Mayor of Miami Shores. She is the second Black woman to be in that role. Daniel Marinberg finished second to be elected as vice-mayor.

Mayor Harris and Marinberg will serve a four-year term while Saint-Fleur will be in office for two years.

Before becoming a councilwoman, Saint-Fleur was the legislative aide of Oscar Braynon, a former member of the Florida senate. She was also the principal at KSF & Associates, a firm that specializes in helping non-profit enterprises with the state legislative process.

Saint-Fleur vowed to go above and beyond in her new role as councilwoman.

“I will wake up every day and give a thousand percent of myself to make every one of you proud,” Saint-Fleur said. “This village is beautiful. Our goal I believe―I’ve met and spoken to everyone [in the council]―is to sustain that beauty.”

Report Finds Haitian Government Complicit in Crimes Against Humanity

April 22, 2021

Haitian human rights coalition, Harvard clinic release new analysis of state-sanctioned massacres

(April 22, 2021, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Cambridge, MA) — Three deadly massacres targeting impoverished neighborhoods in Haiti were carried out with Haitian government support and amount to crimes against humanity, according to a report released today by Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic and the Observatoire Haïtien des Crimes contre l’humanité (OHCCH). The report points to evidence that the gang-led attacks were resourced and supported by state actors, ranging from high-ranking officials in the Moïse administration to the Haitian National Police.

The report, “Killing with Impunity: State-Sanctioned Massacres in Haiti,” analyzes three attacks that took place between 2018-2020, which have together killed at least 240 civilians. The massacres targeted the Port-au-Prince neighborhoods of La Saline, Bel-Air, and Cité Soleil, which have played a leading role in organizing protests demanding government accountability for corruption and other human rights violations.

“Moïse’s government has been pushing the story that the attacks are merely gang infighting, but the evidence demonstrates high-level government involvement in the planning, execution and cover-up of the attacks,” said Mario Joseph, Managing Attorney of Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, a member organization of OHCCH.

The report relies on investigations by Haitian and international human rights experts that show that senior Moïse administration officials planned the attacks or otherwise assisted by providing the gangs with money, weapons, or vehicles. Off-duty police officers and resources were utilized to carry out the attacks. The Haitian National Police repeatedly failed to intervene to protect civilians despite the sites of the attacks being in close proximity to multiple police stations. In each attack, gangs arrived in the targeted neighborhood, shot at residents indiscriminately, raped women, and burnt and looted houses. The massacres repeatedly involved gangs affiliated with the G9 alliance led by Jimmy Chérizier, which reportedly enjoys government connections.

“We found that Moïse’s failure to stop or respond to attacks initiated by his subordinates may make the President himself liable for crimes against humanity,” said Beatrice Lindstrom, a Clinical Instructor at the Harvard Clinic who supervised the research and drafting of the report. “This should serve as a wake-up call to the international community to stand up for human rights, fully investigate allegations of serious abuses, and do its part to hold perpetrators accountable,” she added.

The report comes amidst a deepening crisis for democracy and human rights in Haiti. Widespread demonstrations have gripped the nation, with large swaths of the population protesting government corruption, rising insecurity, and Moise’s increasingly authoritarian conduct. Notably, to repress dissent, Moise has criminalized common forms of protest and created an intelligence agency to provide surveillance of the political opposition. Attacks against civilians, including the assassination of prominent government critics, have largely been carried out with impunity. Although most experts and much of civil society agree that President Moïse’s constitutional mandate ended on February 7, 2021, he has refused to step down, insisting that an illegal constitutional referendum take place before elections for his replacement.

The finding that the attacks amount to crimes against humanity strengthens the prospects for accountability. In addition to imposing an international obligation on the Haitian government to prosecute the people responsible, it opens the door to prosecutions in national and international courts outside of Haiti. It also means that perpetrators can be pursued indefinitely as no statutes of limitations apply.

“Just like Haiti’s former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier eventually had to stand trial for his brutal repression decades after he left office, the perpetrators of today’s massacres can no longer escape justice by relying on statutes of limitations,” Joseph added.

The UN has raised alarm that the ongoing lack of accountability for massacres has fostered an enabling environment for further carnage. Yet another attack on Bel-Air earlier this month bore striking similarities to the massacres analysed in the report.

“The attacks covered in the report are particularly severe and well-documented, but they are part of a widespread, systematic campaign of violence and intimidation of political dissidents,” said Pierre Esperance, Executive Director of the Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH), an OHCCH member that has led independent investigations into repeated attacks on impoverished neighborhoods. RNDDH has documented at least 11 massacres over the course of Moise’s presidency.

The report relies on evidence collected by a range of Haitian and international actors over the last few years and analyzes it under international criminal law. Harvard Law School students Joey Bui JD’21 and Nathalie Gunasekera JD’21 led the research and drafting of the report under Lindstrom’s supervision.

Read the report in English, French, and Haitian Creole.

Contact:

International Human Rights Clinic, Harvard Law School

Beatrice Lindstrom, Clinical Instructor
+1-404-217-1302; Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.Dana Walters, Program & Communications Coordinator
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Observatoire Haïtien des crimes contre l’humanité

Mario Joseph, Managing Attorney, Bureau des Advocats Internationaux
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Hérold Jean-François, Journalist
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About the Observatoire Haïtien des crimes contre l’humanité (OHCCH): OHCCH is a consortium of Haitian civil society organizations and prominent leaders that came together in October 2020 with a mission of monitoring human rights violations in Haiti that may amount to crimes against humanity. Members include the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH) and individual civil society leaders and prominent lawyers.

About the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School: The International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School works to protect the human rights of clients and communities around the world. Through supervised practice, students learn the responsibilities and skills of human rights lawyering. Learn more at http://hrp.law.harvard.edu/. Follow the Clinic on social media: Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School on Facebook, @HarvardLawHRP on Twitter, and humanrightsharvardlaw on Instagram.

Cash-strapped Haiti has an image problem. The government is spending thousands to fix it

By Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

April 20, 2021

More than 4.4 million are facing a hunger crisis. Inflation remains in the double digits and poverty is rising.

But none of that is stopping Haiti’s cash-strapped government from digging into its meager coffers to pay expensive U.S. lobbyists to help its embattled president, who is increasingly facing criticism from members of Congress and calls from Haitians to step down.

In the last month, the impoverished nation has added at least four new high-powered members to its lobbying team in the United States, according to foreign registration filings with the U.S. Justice Department. The new hires include a former U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic, a former chief of staff at the Organization of American States and two influential Democratic donors.

It’s all part of President Jovenel Moïse’s effort to get positive international press as detractors accuse him of trying to install a dictatorship with autocratic policies and a push to change the country’s constitution through a controversial June 27 referendum that Haitian legal experts say is illegal.

The government’s spending on lobbyists comes as domestic revenues are down, public spending is up and the country’s budget deficit is growing at an alarming rate, according to information provided by economists during a recent international summit on Haiti’s finances and economy. Meanwhile, the United Nations recently announced that it was looking for $235 million for 1.5 million Haitians facing food insecurity, which leaves another 2.9 million people still uncovered by the country’s national budget.

“I find it doubly tragic that money is being spent to support American lobbyists who use political access to get things done and taking the food out of the mouths of hungry Haitians. But two, the whole purpose is to circumvent democratic process,” said Fulton Armstrong, a Haiti expert and senior faculty fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University.

Records show that the Haitian government contracts amount to at least $804,000 a year in lobbying fees. The actual amount, however, is much higher. One of the firms, Mercury Public Affairs, routes its Haiti contract through Mercury International UK Ltd office, according to the firm’s disclosure, and it is unclear what the total contract is worth because it has not been disclosed publicly.

On the other side of the lobbying efforts to counter the government’s message are the Estopinan Group LLC, run by Art Estopinan, a former chief of staff to Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. The firm is representing businessman Dr. Reginald Boulos, who has emerged as a vocal critic of Moïse.

“Our focus has been on the deteriorating human rights situation in Haiti with all of the kidnappings and the violence that have been breaking the country apart,” said Estopinan, who worked for Ros-Lehtinen for 27 years.

Most of the Haitian government’s contracts list the nation’s embassy in Washington and its ambassador, Bocchit Edmond, as the contractors. The contracts are tied to a larger pool of dollars being spent by the Haitian government on billboards and banners touting a controversial June constitutional referendum, trips by ministers and members of the provisional electoral council to support and explain the initiative, and citizen outreach at home and abroad.

“Events in Washington have wide repercussions, especially for small, insular states facing tremendous challenges,” Edmond said. “At present, our country is dealing with serious security issues that require pursuing all avenues to obtain assistance. National security is a costly business, for all states.”

He added that with the U.S. concentrating on its own issues, vulnerable countries like Haiti must find ways to get their voices heard in the corridors of power.

“Haiti is by no means the only country that is working very hard to reach influential policy makers in Congress and in the new administration, which is concentrating on internal issues,” Edmond said. “We are working hard to enlist Haiti’s friends, in all corridors of power, to help broker a solution to the political impasse at home.”

Many Haitians and some members of Congress are calling on the Biden administration to take a tougher stance on Moïse, amid concerns about corruption and human rights violations as Haiti becomes enveloped in a deadly crime wave, political chaos and a bitter constitutional crisis.

Haitians demonstrate during a protest to denounce the draft constitutional referendum carried by the President Jovenel Moise on March 28, 2021, in Port-au-Prince. VALERIE BAERISWYL AFP via Getty Images

Moïse’s detractors say they no longer recognize him as president because his terms ended on Feb. 7, and contend that no credible, fair or transparent elections can be held this year because the electoral commission unilaterally appointed by him lacks legitimacy and credibility. They have been advocating instead for a transitional government, a view shared by some U.S. lawmakers.

Moïse, who has been ruling by decree for the past 15 months, has pushed back. Refusing calls to step down, he has declared that his term ends in February 2022, a view shared by the Biden administration and pushed by lobbyists in press releases, opinion pieces and meetings.

Last month influential Democratic donor Ralph Patino registered his Coral Gables law firm, Patino and Associates, as lobbying on behalf of the Haitian government. Patino is a Democratic fundraiser who helped with Hispanic outreach on behalf of President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. In his firm’s U.S. government filing, Patino said he was contracted for $37,000 a month by the Haitian government.

Patino and Edmond signed a contract in late February and the firm began representing Haiti on March 4. It explained that its role is to consult and provide strategic advice to the Haitian Embassy to consolidate a positive relationship with the U.S.

Patino’s monthly fee is more than most U.S. municipalities pay for Washington lobbyists. According to the documents, the Haitian government was expected to pay $74,000 in advance for March and April to the firm.

To help with the Haiti account, Patino has brought on former U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James Walter Brewster Jr. In his filing, Brewster listed himself as a part-time consultant and said he would be paid $15,300. It is unclear if that is monthly. Brewster could not be reached and Patino said his firm doesn’t comment on clients’ contracts. .

In addition to Patino and Brewster, two other influential lobbyists were also tapped by Miami-based Latin America Advisory Group, which signed a contract last year with the Haitian government. The firm increased its monthly fee from $8,000 to $25,000 a month after extending its contract through January 2022.

Latin America Advisory Group has brought on Carlos Suarez, a partner at Continental Strategy of Coral Gables, and Los Angeles-based Democratic fundraiser and celebrity adviser Ronald Eric Baldwin to assist with lobbying efforts on behalf of Haiti, according to filings.

Suarez said his role is limited. He’s using his contacts, he said, to ensure that free and fair elections take place in Haiti and “to make sure that accurate information is being delivered and not hearsay.”

Baldwin, who served as executive director for almost four years in Port-au-Prince for actor Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization after the devastating 2010 earthquake, said he decided to get involved in Haiti after watching the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on March 12 about the country’s ongoing crisis.

“The way that it was presented just felt very incomplete at best,” Baldwin said. “I’m not a professional lobbyist. My connection to Haiti is pretty personal.”

Suarez is a former acting assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He and Baldwin are each getting paid $7,000 a month. Suarez formerly served as chief of staff to former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States Carlos Trujillo, who also is his partner at the firm and not involved in the account.

Damian Merlo, the founder of Latin America Advisory Group, said he decided to augment his team with Suarez and Baldwin because of their knowledge of the country.

“I’ve worked in Haiti for nearly 10 years...and was part of Moïse’s campaign team, and am working to better inform U.S. policymakers on the situation in Haiti and to work toward a much needed constitutional referendum and even more important presidential, legislative and local elections,” said Merlo, confirming that Trujillo is not involved in the account.

Also on the Haiti account is the global public relations firm Mercury Public Affairs.

Haiti first turned to Mercury in 2018 after it was reported that President Donald Trump described the country as a “shithole” during a White House meeting. Mercury was hired to manage the country’s “print, television, radio and digital media presence by crafting their narrative,” according to its filing at the time.

That year, Mercury LLC registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as representing the president of Haiti. Vanessa Lamothe, Haiti’s then ambassador to France and cousin of its former prime minister, was listed as the contact for the firm to provide media relations services for the president of Haiti.

The arrangement with Mercury has been difficult to track, although in 2019 it listed $312,935 in fees billed to the Embassy of Haiti in Washington as of May 31. Though one of its principal lobbyists on the Haiti contract is former Democratic lawmaker Joe Garcia, payments are made through Mercury’s U.K. office. In its February 2018 registration it listed at the time, a project fee of $10,000 and said it would be paid on a month-to-month basis after December.

Neither Garcia nor Mercury’s vice president responded to a request for comment.

Also with a government lobbying contract is Johanna LeBlanc. In a March 2019 filing, LeBlanc said she was being paid $5,000 a month to interact with “U.S. government officials and public entities in order to promote the interests of the State of Haiti and its citizens in the United States.”

LeBlanc did not respond to either a text or email seeking comment.

Armstrong, the Haiti expert, said when it comes to U.S. foreign policy toward the troubled Caribbean nation, the Biden administration is seemingly reluctant to come up with a new strategy. In that context, the Haitian government’s lobbying efforts just may work.

“You have an administration that is not well-informed, not well-engaged; doesn’t have any senior officials with Haiti experience, doesn’t have a senior assistant secretary of state for Latin America and the acting doesn’t know these issues,” he said.

Miami Herald/McClatchy DC Bureau reporter Alex Daugherty contributed to this report.

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What's Up Little Haiti

What's Up Little Haiti

What's Up Little Haiti

EU: No Funding or European Observers for Referendum in Haiti

What's Up Little Haiti

What's Up Little Haiti