Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 1 mars 2021

 Prison Director and Gang Leader Among 25 Killed in Haitian Jailbreak

The Guardian

Notorious gangster Arnel Joseph shot dead at Police checkpoint after more than 400 inmates escape in country’s biggest breakout or 10 years.

More than 400 inmates have escaped, and 25 people have died in a prison breakout in Haiti, authorities say, making it the country’s largest and deadliest one in a decade. A prison director and a powerful gang leader were among those killed.

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON HAITI POLITICAL CRISIS

On Monday, February 22nd, a number of foreign diplomats participating in a virtual United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the deteriorating situation in Haiti mentioned the film crew’s attack and abduction. The country’s worsening crime amid its deepening political turmoil was a concern for everyone. More than one ambassador expressed frustration over the government’s inability to dismantle the armed gangs and criminal organizations behind the growing wave of kidnappings, homicides and rampant criminality.

“The authorities must do more,” France’s Deputy Permanent Representative Nathalie Broadhurst said, before asking a pointed question about one of Haiti’s most notorious and wanted gang leaders, implicated with two other former officials in President Jovenel Moïse’s government in a massacre. “I ask the question bluntly: How is it possible today that Jimmy Cherizier is still free?”

Cherizier, known as “Barbecue,” is an ex-cop wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2018 La Saline massacre that left scores dead, homes torched and families in the low-income Port-au-Prince neighborhood displaced. He is also suspected of being involved in other massacres in working class neighborhoods and currently heads a gang federation whose members have been linked to the kidnapping surge.

Gédéon Jean, a human rights lawyer and founder of the Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research, said his organization has documented 102 kidnappings between January and February 23. Last year, he said, they documented 51 kidnappings between January and March.

STATEMENT BY THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY ON HAITI

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Heads of Government expressed their deep concern over the deteriorating political situation and the deepening public anxiety over citizen security in Haiti.

They took note of the Report of the United Nations Secretary General of 11 February 2021 and of the comments therein on the political and governance issues.

Heads of Government underlined the importance of respect for the rule of law and constitutional processes as laid out in the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society, and the primary responsibility of the government to this end.

They called on the political actors to engage in dialogue to reach consensus on the way forward and establish an enabling environment for the conduct, as quickly as possible, of the elections to renew the lapsed Legislative and Local Government Institutions.

Heads of Government look forward to the conduct of free and fair Presidential Elections, in accordance with the Constitution of Haiti.

HOW IS LIFE TODAY IN HAITI

Today, even the most menial of tasks, like going to the supermarket, heading out to eat, or taking a two- to three-hour drive to a city like Jacmel require planning and thought.

“It’s not my responsibility as a citizen to make sure that the country is running well. It’s their responsibility,” said Mirambeau, 37, a filmmaker who in 2018 inadvertently helped launched an anti-corruption campaign on social media after he posted a photo of himself holding a cardboard sign asking in Creole what happened to $2 billion in PetroCaribe money Haiti received from Venezuela.

“We are putting pressure on the government to make sure that we can function as normal citizens, we can go in the streets, we can go to the supermarkets,” he said. “These are normal stuff that people do and I cannot do that in the country.”

In a country with no functioning movie theaters, Mirambeau and his fellow filmmakers have been trying to grow an industry. Saturday’s kidnapping is not making it easy. On Monday, they shut down production of their latest film and he spent most of the morning trying to reassure the crew, while also trying to secure the three men’s release.

“The government is saying, “No, there’s no problem in Haiti, there is no kidnapping,’” Mirambeau said, referring to a recent statement by the country’s president to the U.N. Security Council that kidnappings had dropped considerably. “Everyday they are kidnapping us and killing Haitian citizens. It doesn’t make any sense anymore.

“There is a serious problem in Haiti,” he added. “You have the media talking about [this case]. But what about the people who are kidnapped everyday? They have no names, they are the little merchants selling peanuts on the street. They are kidnapping them and sometimes, they are killing them.”

Other than having to cease filming last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of funding, Mirambeau said they had never had any issue with their location shoots even amid the recent anti-government protests and mounting insecurity.

It was on the advice of their security team, he said, that they chose to leave Jacmel after dark and make the trek back to the capital after having wrapped up five days of filming for their second film, a political thriller titled “Malatchong,” a Creole word used to describe when something is fraudulent. Though Haitians often travel late at night or early in the morning to avoid traffic jams and abductions, Mirambeau is convinced the time of travel would not have made a difference.

“Whether it was at 2 p.m. or 2 o’clock in the morning, it would have been the same thing,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense that as a citizen, I have to ask for police [escorts] because I am going to Jacmel.”

Haiti: Attacks on Judicial Independence

UN Security Council Should Call for Restoring Supreme Court at Upcoming Meeting

February 22, 2021

(New York) – UN Security Council members should press the government of Haiti to uphold judicial independence, respect due process, and repeal its recent arbitrary changes to the Supreme Court’s composition, Human Rights Watch said today. They should also ensure that when extending the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), set to expire in October 2021, they take steps to strengthen an independent judiciary.

On February 22, the United Nations Security Council will discuss the ongoing political crisis in Haiti after a briefing from Helen La Lime, the head of BINUH, which was created in 2019 and mandated to advise the government of Haiti to promote and strengthen political stability and good governance. In early February, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse arbitrarily removed three Supreme Court justices, including one who was arrested for a few days in circumstances that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has said “may amount to an unlawful or arbitrary arrest and detention.” The president also appointed three new justices without following procedures established in the Constitution. 

“Getting rid of Supreme Court justices you dislike and appointing new ones without following regular processes will not solve a political crisis,” said Tamara Taraciuk Broner, deputy Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Security Council members have an opportunity to put this affront to judicial independence at the top of their agenda, and they should seize it. There is no possible resolution to Haiti’s crisis without rule of law and an independent judiciary.”

The president and his supporters have an ongoing dispute with the political opposition regarding when Moïse’s term as president ends or has ended. Under Haiti’s Constitution, the presidential term begins on February 7, after elections that take place every five years. Haiti’s Superior Council of the Judiciary ruled on February 6 that Moïse’s term had ended that day. It based its conclusion on the fact that the president’s five-year term began in 2016, after the initial elections he won in October 2015.

The 2015 elections were contested due to allegations of electoral fraud, leading to a second election in November 2016, which Moïse also won. Moïse has stated that his term ends on February 7, 2022, counting five years since February 2017, when he took office following the November 2016 election.

The Organization of American States and the US government have accepted this interpretation.

On February 7, Haiti’s justice minister, the interim director of Haiti’s National Police, and several security agents working at the General Security Unit of the National Palace, the presidential residence, arrested 18 people accused of conspiring against the government. Moïse claimed the arrests were based on information provided by intelligence services about an alleged attempt to overthrow his government.

Haiti’s criminal code provides for a prison sentence of up to 15 years for anyone who participates in “attempts or plots to destroy political institutions or change the government, incite citizens to take up arms against the head of state.” It defines conspiracy as the decision to “act between two conspirators, even if there has been no attempt [to act].”

The detainees included Judge Yvickel Dieujuste Dabrésil, a Supreme Court justice, and several of his family members and security team. Judge Dabrésil was allegedly going to be nominated by the political opposition and civil society groups to be provisional president. He disputed that in a recent Miami Herald interview. The police claim they found the speech he was going to give when taking office, four rifles, three handguns, and one machete when searching his home. The 18 people were transferred to the Croix-des-Bouquets prison in Port-au-Prince. A court released Dabrésil on February 11. The others remain in detention.

On February 8, the opposition and civil society groups appointed Supreme Court Justice Joseph Mécènes Jean-Louis as interim president. He accepted the appointment to become Haiti’s “transitional provisional president.”

On that same day, Moïse issued a decree ordering the “retirement” of three Supreme Court justices – Dabrésil, Jean-Louis, and Wendelle Coq Thelot. He accused them of “trying to reach the presidency without elections.”

Coq Thelot had received death threats after opposing Moïse’s appointment by decree of all members for the Provisional Electoral Council in September 2020. Under Haiti’s Constitution, these appointments should be made after consulting with civil society actors, but the president made appointments without civil society recommendations. The council is charged with carrying out presidential, parliamentary, and local elections, but the president decreed on January 5 that it should also plan, organize, and carry out a constitutional referendum, despite an explicit constitutional prohibition on modifying the Constitution through a referendum.

Anyone who is accused of committing a crime should be subject to a proper investigation, respecting due process guarantees, Human Rights Watch said.

The removal of the three justices violates the Haitian Constitution, which states that Supreme Court justices can only be subject to removal proceedings after a two-thirds majority of members of the chamber of deputies has voted to accuse them of abuse of authority. They may be suspended if there are formal criminal charges against them. The justices can also be brought before a court if they have committed a crime or may be subject to civil liability. They remain in office until the end of their term or can retire after turning 55 if they have worked in the judiciary for 25 years.

On February 11, Moïse appointed by decree three new justices to the Supreme Court – Octélus Dorvilien, Louiselmé Joseph and Pierre Harry Alexis – without following the procedures provided for in law. The Constitution requires the president to select Supreme Court justices from a list prepared by the Senate of three candidates per vacancy. Moïse saidthey were selected from a list that came from the Senate. However, since the Electoral Council indefinitely postponedlegislative elections in October 2019, the mandate of all legislators in the Chamber of Deputies and of two-thirds of the Senate ended in January 2020. Since then, there have been only 10 Senators in office. Moïse has been ruling by decree.

Haiti is party to several human rights treaties – including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the American Convention on Human Rights – that require it to safeguard the independence and impartiality of its judiciary. The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the ICCPR by state parties, has held that for a tribunal to be “independent and impartial,” the executive must not be able to control or direct the judiciary.

A range of authoritative principles – including the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, the Universal Charter of the Judge, and the Statute of the Ibero-American Judge – set forth key components of an independent and impartial judiciary. These standards include that judges should be free from constraints, pressures, or orders imposed by other branches of government, and they should have security of tenure, so they do not have to fear being removed from their posts for their decisions. In addition, judges should be appointed based on objective and transparent criteria based on proper professional qualifications, and they may only be suspended or removed “for reasons of incapacity or behaviour that renders them unfit to discharge their duties.”

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 18 février 2021

 Thousands march in Haiti to say ‘No to dictatorship’ as peaceful protest turned violent

MIAMI HERALD, February 14, 2021 08:12 PM

Demonstrators march in Port-au-Prince on February 14, 2021, to protest against the government of President Jovenel Moise. - Several thousand people demonstrated on February 14, 2021 to denounce a new dictatorship in Haiti and the international community’s support for President Jovenel Moise. The protesters were accusing Moise of illegally extending his term. He says it lasts until February 2022 -- but the opposition argues it should have ended last weekend, in a standoff over disputed elections. 

A peaceful march to protest against the reinstatement of a dictatorship in Haiti and demand the ouster of President Jovenel Moïse ended in violence Sunday with at least one dead, several journalists injured and police firing tear gas and rubber bullets onto crowds in the country’s capital. 

Billows of black smoke from burning vehicle and tires, used to barricade streets, were observed in the hills above Port-au-Prince, in the latest clashes marking Haiti’s political crisis over the disputed term of Moïse. Protesters have accused the leader of illegally remaining in office because his term, according to the constitution, ended Feb. 7. Moïse disagrees and said he still has until February 2022. The U.S., United Nations and the Organization of American States’ secretary general support his claim.

In Port-au-Prince, the demonstration began shortly after 11 a.m. at Constitutional Place near the National Palace, and initially moved peacefully through the capital. But three hours later, protesters were forced to seek cover in nearby businesses and street corridors to avoid the toxic fumes of police tear gas and rubber bullets as they tried to deliver their message in front of the office of the U.N. and OAS. 

Local radio journalists on the scene reported in some instances, police were unprovoked when they opened fire, and in other instances, they were responding to rock-throwing militants. At least two journalists were injured after being hit with rubber bullets, Radio Zenith said.

The radio’s hosts also reported the death of an unidentified individual in the Delmas 95 neighborhood after his corpse was set on fire with a motorcycle on top by unidentified individuals. 

“None of it was necessary,” said Gédéon Jean, a human rights activist who was among the organizers of the protest. “There were a lot, a lot of people who took to the streets.”

The protest is part of an ongoing standoff between Moïse and his detractors who say his use of executive powers is igniting fears that he wants to return Haiti to a dictatorship. Moïse has been ruling by decree for more than a year after dismissing most of Parliament in January of last year and all of the country’s elected mayors. He has also issued a slew of decrees strengthening the power of his presidency. 

Last weekend, after the opposition failed to get him to step down, Moïse announced the arrest of 23 people including a Supreme Court judge in an alleged coup and assassination plot. The arrests, followed by several other worrying moves that experts say are unconstitutional, led to thousands of Haitians taking to the streets Sunday in Port-au-Prince and other cities.

Jean, who put the crowd in the tens of thousands, said everyone could see that people came out “ to the streets to say they do not agree with the dictatorship that Jovenel has put in place in the country; to say the country’s constitution needs to be respected and to tell the international community, they do not agree with them supporting Jovenel Moïse.”

This is why, he said, the protest’s route included stops in front of the OAS’s office in Pétion-Ville and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti in nearby Juvenat.

Jean, who traveled by motorcycle to meet protesters at the head of the march, to show them where to turn, said trouble started brewing early. Three Nissan Patrol vehicles with heavily armed police officers were planted inside the crowd and followed protesters as they moved throughout the capital, he said.

“No matter what they did, the population refused to be provoked, they didn’t throw rocks at them,” said Jean, 41. 

Once marchers arrived in Pétion-Ville, however, events turned. After meeting an initial group in front of the building where the OAS’ office is located, Jean said he headed back down Canape Vert to go greet protesters as they turn the demonstration around to come meet him in front of the the offices of the U.N. mission, which is known by its French acronym BINUH.

“There were a lot of police cars there, and a water truck,” Jean said. Soon, he was joined by the Nissan Patrols, which, he said, began firing tear gas and shots. “I had two people with me who grabbed me and ran with me,” he said.

“It was a march where you had tens of thousands of people who responded to the call to say, ‘We are not interested in a dictatorship,’ to denounce BINUH and the OAS, which are supporting Jovenel Moise,” Jean said. “They put a Nissan Patrol and [another vehicle] in the crowd.”

Further up the hill in Pétion-Ville, police also were firing tear gas, this time at the crowds near the OAS office.

Sunday’s protest was billed as a peaceful demonstration for democracy by civil society and opposition groups, and everyday Haitians as well as notable personalities in the field of human rights and journalism. 

They decided to come out, they said, to denounce what they consider to be worrying signs that Moïse wants to reinstate a dictatorship in Haiti 35 years after the country ousted its last dictator, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier and ended he and his father’s nearly 30 year reign of terror that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, and caused many more to flee. 

Moïse, who came into office in 2017 after a process marked by fraud and violent unrest, has said he is not a dictator. While his detractors protested his autocratic tendencies Sunday and demanded his ouster, he was attending the country’s National Carnival in Port-de-Paix, a city in the northwest. 

Nenel Cassy, a former senator whose detention by police at an opposition protest last month triggered street protests, said Haitians have to take their destiny in their hands. 

“This battle demands determination, it demands engagement,” he said soon after the march began.

Draped in the Haitian flag, and waving miniature versions of it as they protested, the mostly mask-less crowd began in a festive mood. As they walked through the capital, they sang “Send Jovenel away” and beat drums. To make their point, some wore red T-shirts with the phrase, “Esklav Revolte” in Creole or “Revolting Slave.” Others, had on white T-shirts saying “Respect 134-2,” the article in the constitution that they say dictates that Moise’s constitutional term legally ended on Feb. 7.

“I grew up in the Duvalier dictatorship and with a lot of other young people, I was a victim,” Liliane Pierre-Paul, a renown journalist said, moments before mayhem broke out in Pétion-Ville. “We don’t want for a dictatorship to come back again.”

Minutes later, as the crowd was forcibly dispersed, she was forced to seek cover inside a barber shop after police began firing tear gas and bullets near Rebecca Street, not far from the OAS.

Haitian President Moïse’s time is up. U.S., other democracies must make that clear | Opinion

By Marleine Bastien and Ira Kurzban

February 05, 2021 04:21 PM

The Biden administration understandably is focused on its domestic challenges, but it cannot ignore the looming crisis in Haiti any longer. President Jovenel Moïse’s term, fed by spectacular corruption, mismanagement and repression is scheduled to come to a legal end on Sunday. Few believe he will leave as, in Trumpian fashion, he seeks to remain in power, notwithstanding the Haitian Constitution, the electoral law or the will of the Haitian people. 

Moïse became president in 2017 through elections that were so deeply flawed and violent that almost 80 percent of Haitian voters did not, or could not, vote. He has avoided having any more elections, so Parliament became inoperative in January 2020, when most legislators’ terms expired. When mayors’ terms expired in July, Moïse personally appointed their replacements. 

In the meantime, life in Haiti has become increasingly bleak. Almost every day brings kidnappings or killings. The most notorious are the brutal kidnapping and murder of high school student Evelyne Sincere in October and the assassination of Bar Association president Monferrier Dorval in August. 

The Moïse administration’s signature initiative is corruption. Early in his term, Moïse passed a budget law that diverted much of the state budget away from ministries to special administration and parliamentary accounts that lacked any accountability mechanisms. Government services — already crushingly limited — predictably have decreased as the money was siphoned off. 

Government’s corruption has driven the economy into the ground: Inflation has been well into double digits for most of Moïse’s administration, the currency is devalued and jobs are scarcer than ever. More than one-third of the country needs emergency food assistance, even though there has not been a major natural disaster.

When Haitians complain about this state of events, they are brutalized. Police attacked adults and schoolchildren peacefully protesting kidnappings with tear gas and beatings on Jan. 17, 19 and 21. Sometimes, they are shot in the head with very limited chance of survival just for exercising their constitutional right of free speech. The government and allied gangs have organized a series of massacres in poor neighborhoods known to host anti-government organizing, killing dozens at a time.

Throughout Moïse’s term, he has been able to count on the Trump administration to send financial support, downplay the malfeasance and even pressure the opposition into compliance. But in December, the Trump administration seemed to signal that it had had enough, when the Treasury Department issued sanctions against two former Moïse officials and a former police officer for their involvement in the November 2018 La Saline massacre.

Most legal and electoral experts in Haiti — including the national federation of bar associations—have confidently concluded that Moïse’s term ends Sunday, Feb. 7, based on the language of the Constitution, electoral law and Moïse’s own precedence when he proclaimed that legislators’ and mayors’ terms ended last year. The legal experts are joined by a broad range of Haitian civil society, from the Catholic bishops to Protestant churches to unions and tens of thousands of people taking to the streets to protest. If President Moïse is still in office on Monday, larger and more inclusive protests will multiply, and the Biden administration will soon have a full-blown political crisis on its hands. 

There is a large consensus that the Moïse administration can no longer govern the country credibly. His time has legally expired, and he must be removed. It is important that decision-makers in the United States, at the executive, legislative and local levels, send a strong signal and take appropriate action to support constitutional government in Haiti. 

The Haitian people who are fighting in the streets, amid a brutal repression reminiscent of the Duvalier era, need our support. There needs to be a credible transition in Haiti to end the violent turn toward a dictatorship, and the Haitian people, with the assistance of the OAS and the United States, should play a forceful role in maintaining constitutional government.

Any democratic solution must recognize that all socioeconomic groups in Haiti and, particularly, local democratic organizations must have a seat at the table to ensure a peaceful transition of power.

Marleine Bastien is executive director the Family Action Network Movement (FANM). Ira Kurzban is a Miami-based immigration attorney.

US EMBASSY NOTE

We have seen an Executive Order issued late February 8 removing three Supreme Court judges.  We are deeply concerned about any actions that risk damaging Haiti’s democratic institutions.  The Executive Order is now being widely scrutinized to determine whether it conforms to Haiti’s Constitution and laws.  In the meantime, all political actors should focus on restoring to the Haitian people the right to choose their lawmakers by organizing overdue legislative elections as soon as technically feasible and presidential elections soon after.

By | 9 February, 2021 | Topics: Press Releases

From Initiative Committee of Community Organizations of Florida

To        President Joseph Biden

            President of the United States of America

            White House, Washington, D.C.

Subject RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN HAITI

Date     February 10, 2021

Dear President Biden:

We, Committee of Initiative Organizations of Florida, congratulate you on your oath in office on January 20, 2021. Your oath marks a new era for democracy not only for the United States of America, but also for the world. Your presence in the White House brings hope, happiness, and confidence for citizens all over the globe especially for people in Haiti because of your interest to promote ethical and moral values in the world arena.

As a lawyer, a 36-year lawmaker, 8-year Vice President, and actual President of the United States of America, no one can be a best asset than you to defend the respect of principles and moral values. The Haitian community has worked very hard to propel your dream and Vice President Kamala Harris to the White House. More than 93 percent of Haitian electors voted for your ticket because of our hard work and the hard work of our children. During your visit in Miami, Florida, we had a meeting where we promised to help each other. We got it done not only because we believed you could restore democracy in the United States, but also because we knew you will help us do the same in our country, Haiti.

Our brothers and sisters in Haiti are trapped in a politico-economic dilemma for a very long time. Their situation in general has worsened in the last decade with the arrival of the actual team in power. Corruption, abuse of power of all kinds, injustice, economic hardship, the proliferation of armed gangs sponsored by the current president etc... have become the norms in Haiti. The government and its allies have imposed a regime of terror and corruption to keep people in poverty and fear. When Haitians take to the streets to express their anger peacefully, armed gangs and the Haitian National Police disperse them with tear gas. Human right organizations in Haiti like NCHR, JEKLERE among others, United Nations, State Department of the former Administration are aware of the brutality of the gang members under the supervision of homeland security department officials of president Jovenel Moise.

On February 7, 2021, the Moise administration’s term ended according to Article 134-2 of the Haitian constitution.  Religious institutions, civic groups, human rights groups have concurred including the Supreme Court of Haiti which held that the Moise administration term ended on February 7, 2021. President Moise reacted by:

1-     Arresting dozens of citizens among them a judge of the supreme court, Ivickel Dabrezil, a general inspector of the Haitian Police on the baseless claim that they were plotting to overthrow him from power.

2-     Closing of the Supreme Court office of Haiti

3-     Closing of the Judicial Academy of Haiti

4-     Retired/fired 3 of the 9 Supreme Court Justices

5-     Interdiction of meeting with more than 2 people on the street

6-     Coerced Supreme court justices and other political opponents to hide under warren arrest etc…

All those decisions are illegal and made in violation of the Haitian constitution of March 29, 1987 amended which guarantees freedom of assembly and association (art 31).

Mr. Moise has established a regime of terror in the country where corruption and armed gangsters impose their rules. A $4.2 billion long-term loan from Venezuela earmarked for development, economic growth, job creations were stolen by officials of his PHTK regime. An audit conducted by the Supreme Administrative Court of Haiti revealed that the $ 4.2 billion were spent mostly without justifications. Among those cited, president Moise’s name appeared 69 times in the report for using public resources for personal gains.

Haitian electors voted for the ticket Biden/Harris in the presidential elections to restore democracy in the United States. Now we need your help to restore democracy in Haiti by demanding Mr. Moise to respect the Haitian constitution and relinquish the presidency immediately.

Thank you so much, President Biden, for the prompt attention that you will be given to our urgent concern. We look forward to having your administration restore democracy in Haiti.

Sincerely,

Maxi FRANCOIS                                                                         Theobale PIERRE-PAUL

516-967-1559                                                                           786-285-5483

Roger BIAMBY                                                                          Jean Robert PIERRE LOUIS

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Phone: 305-335-0433                                                                Phone: 786-487-6175

Opinion: Haitians are fleeing their country. Their president is the source of the problem

Opinion by Editorial Board

Feb. 10, 2021

HAITI’S CHRONIC hardship and hunger have long been entwined with a long line of corrupt, autocratic and brutal leaders who have exacerbated the country’s instability. Among the worst in recent memory is the current Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse.

Having taken office four years ago, Mr. Moïse’s term has been marked by a degradation of democratic institutions and a descent into violence that has transformed the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, into a tableau of fear and insecurity. Armed gangs prey on civilians with impunity, some of them through kidnap-for-ransom rackets.

Neighborhoods known for their opposition to the president have been targeted for bloody attacks by criminals whom the U.S. government has tied to high-ranking officials in Mr. Moïse’s government. Those officials were hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in December. In Haiti itself, virtually no one responsible for the attacks has been brought to justice.

Mr. Moïse has dissolved most of the country’s elected parliament and stripped mayors throughout the country of their offices. The president denies he is a dictator; his actions suggest otherwise.

His term in office expired last Sunday. Nonetheless, he says he will remain in power another year, owing to the fact that an interim government was in place during what would have been the first year of his four-year term — the result of fraud-marred elections in 2016. The fact is, Mr. Moïse has permitted no fresh elections, and the fractured, feeble opposition is in no position to form a government to replace him. That may help explain why the State Department, while urging a restoration of democracy, has supported the president’s contention that he should remain in office until February 2022. To be credible, that stance must be reinforced with pressure to set a timetable and benchmarks for new elections.

As protests intensified, Mr. Moïse’s government on Sunday arrested more than 20 prominent figures and others, including a Supreme Court judge, alleging they planned to depose and kill the president. Given the chaos, it’s little surprise that Haitians have been leaving the country, hoping to make their way into the United States through Mexico. More than 600 of them have been expelled on a half-dozen flights since the start of February after trying to cross the border without documents, according to Haitian Bridge Alliance, an advocacy group that tracks the flights. None were allowed to apply for asylum under the pandemic public health emergency declared last spring by the Trump administration, which the Biden administration has so far kept in place.

No country holds more sway in Haiti than the United States. By supporting the political status quo there, the Biden administration ensures that more desperate Haitians will flee their country, and many will end up adding to the rising tide of illegal crossing at the Mexican border. As with Central American migrants, the problem of illegal immigrants from Haiti can be mitigated only by a concerted U.S. push to address problems at the source. In Haiti, those problems begin with Mr. Moïse.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 4 février 2021

 Haitian Journalists Protest Police Brutality

VOA / VOICE OF AMERICA 

WASHINGTON/PORT-AU-PRINCE - Dozens of journalists, lawyers and former police officers held a peaceful march around Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, Thursday to denounce police brutality.

Some of the protesters held photos of reporters who had been injured while in the line of duty. Others held posters depicting scenes of police brutality during demonstrations.

As they made their way around town, they chanted, “When they don’t get paid, we’re the ones they call!” a reference to the role journalists often play giving a voice to citizens’ efforts to hold the government accountable.

Protesters make their way through the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to protest against police brutality.

Members of the Haitian media allege they are often targeted by aggressive law enforcement officers while covering protests and other news events. They say they also face intimidation and death threats.

“I think the point of this protest is to say journalists' rights must be respected. That is what we are fighting for. That is our objective," Radio Zenith reporter Robeste Dimanche told VOA.

Daniel Lamartiniere, a reporter for Impartial Info, told VOA he is a recent victim of police brutality."On Wednesday January 20, 2021, I was ... doing a live update when I saw a policeman in a beige and blue uniform start shooting. When I realized he was firing a gun, I ran for cover so I wouldn't get shot. But I miscalculated (in choosing) a shelter because that is exactly where a rubber bullet hit me in the eye," he said.

Lamartiniere had a plastic shield over his left eye as he spoke to VOA.

Complaints about abuses

Dimanche told VOA he delivered a letter on behalf of the journalists to the Office for the Protection of Civilians (OPC) before the protest started to complain about police brutality. Dimanche said he spoke to Jacques Desrosier, the official responsible for human rights issues, and was well-received.

"I think that (the) OPC is going to act on the message we delivered. And what we asked for is what we have been asking all along — we denounce police brutality. We listed the barbarian acts committed by police against journalists, and that's basically what is contained in our complaint,” he said.

Press freedoms eroded

Press freedom deteriorated substantially in Haiti in 2020, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which described working conditions for journalists as “dangerous and precarious.”

On a scale of one to 100, the Caribbean nation's ranking fell from 62 in 2019 to 83 in 2020. RSF's annual report cites multiple factors for the deterioration, including corruption and increasing hostilities.

The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) and RSF have called on the Haitian government to investigate attacks on journalists.

Reporter Robenson Alphonse of Magik 9 FM was covering the protest and lending support.

"We insist that law enforcement must be professional and follow the law when they interact with journalists who are covering protests," he told VOA. "Just as the Association of Haitian Journalists has deplored the aggression toward the Radio-TV Caraibes journalist, I believe we must remind people that it is necessary to protect the press and act responsibly always. This is fundamental, and that is why I'm participating in this protest."

The march ended peacefully without incident or police interference, according to the VOA Creole reporter who covered the event.

The United States Commits an Additional $75.5 Million for Assistance to Haiti

On January 11, the American people provided an additional $75.5 million in development assistance to Haiti.  The agreement between the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Government of Haiti, through the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, will improve development outcomes throughout Haiti in the health, education, agriculture, and governance sectors, among others. U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison noted: “Through USAID, the U.S. government has helped improve health and education outcomes, advance economic and food security, and strengthened local government institutions and citizen engagement.”

This latest agreement brings USAID’s total assistance to Haiti to nearly $1.9 billion since 2011.  Furthermore, to date, the U.S. government has provided more than $16 million in COVID-19-related assistance, which includes USAID, U.S. Southern Command, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support for Haiti’s COVID-19 response.

This new funding will be used to implement USAID programs in Haiti in health, education, food security, agricultural development, economic growth, water and sanitation, and governance.  USAID’s strategy in Haiti is focused on working with the Haitian government, civil society, and our partners to achieve sustainable development results and keep Haiti on the path to self-reliance. 

Our programs aim to build resilience in people, communities, and systems in response to ongoing shocks and stresses, fostering more inclusive, locally-driven economic growth and social development, and bolstering governance that is more responsive to citizens' needs.  Our interventions are centered around building the local capacity to provide for basic human needs that improve fundamental living conditions; helping Haitians become more productive and find stable, diversified, and sustainable livelihoods; promoting inclusive economic opportunities through the development of local markets; and enabling a business environment more conducive to investment and economic growth.

USAID Haiti Mission Director Chris Cushing remarked: “The American people will continue to help our Haitian neighbors access better health care services, learn better in schools, acquire new professional skills, and increase agricultural production and economic opportunities.  We are neighbors, partners, and friends.  Together, we can build a brighter future in Haiti.”

Strikes, violence overwhelm Haiti’s crumbling judiciary

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A warning from a well-known judge in Haiti crackled recently over the radio: “Don’t let them arrest you, because you don’t know when you will be released from prison.” 

Haiti’s justice system has long been dysfunctional. But in recent years delayed judicial appointments, a spike in violence and protests by judges and court clerks demanding higher salaries and better working conditions have overwhelmed a system in which some 80% of inmates are being held with no trial amid a rise in what activists say are illegal and arbitrary preventive detentions.

“These conditions are so unacceptable that they constitute a violation of the prohibition of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment,” the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti said in a statement this week.

Overall, some 11,000 inmates are being held in prisons across Haiti, including the National Penitentiary in the capital of Port-au-Prince, which was built for 800 prisoners but holds an estimated 3,800.

“The system is on its knees,” said Marie-Yolène Gilles, executive director of the human rights group Fondasyon Je Klere. “It has been crippled for a year now.”

On a recent afternoon, more than a dozen people stood outside the National Penitentiary, colorful plastic bags lying at their feet holding food for their loved ones inside.

Lina André had traveled for more than an hour to see her boyfriend, who has been incarcerated for 10 years but hasn’t seen a judge since he was arrested on suspicion of killing a man.

“I hope the system will work one day and people won’t have to suffer,” she said.

Haiti is among the top 10 countries in the world most affected by prolonged pretrial detention, with people often imprisoned for more than a decade as they await a judicial hearing, according to the U.N. 

Activists expect the situation to worsen, given the increase in violence and protests and a decree that President Jovenel Moïse recently approved that classifies certain crimes as terrorism, including robbery, arson and blocking public roads, common events during protests.

During a hearing last month held by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, attorney Sonel Jean-François said Haiti’s Court of First Instance and Court of Appeals have not functioned properly for the past two years because proceedings are often interrupted by a powerful armed gang that operates in the area around the courthouse.

“This constitutes a violation of the victims’ right to justice and of the detainees’ right to be tried within a reasonable time,” he said.

It’s not uncommon to hear shootings in the courthouse area that force government employees to go home early, said Magistrate Yvenne Tibeau, a deputy government prosecutor. He said there has been no security at the courts for a year.

Tibeau joined a group of judges who went on strike last year after Monferrier Dorval, a well-respected lawyer and head of the bar association in Port-au-Prince, was fatally shot at his home. While the case remains unsolved and Tibeau has since returned to work, he still worries about his safety and said the government has not responded to his repeated requests for a police escort.

Court proceedings also have been interrupted by strikes as court clerks demand better conditions and higher pay. The majority of them earn roughly $270 a month. 

“Whenever we have a strike, we know it hurts the inmates that have to come to court,” said Elysée Cadet, leader of a clerks union. “Not just the inmates; it damages the process of the system. But this is the only way for authorities to hear our voice.”

The strikes are consequential, Judge Bernard Saint-Vil said. “The minute a clerk is absent, the whole system fails.”

The lack of judges also contributes to a backlog in cases, he said, noting that some 40 judges once worked at Haiti’s main courthouse, compared with the 25 there now.

Brian Concannon, an adviser for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, said not appointing judges results in fewer voices ruling against the government and sends a message to current judges that their terms won’t be renewed unless they fall in line with Moïse’s administration. 

It also has the effect of politicizing the judiciary, with well-known cases involving crimes against humanity and high-ranking officials being stalled while those of few resources and power await trial in detention, said Alexandra Filippova, a senior attorney at the institute.

Proposed solutions have ranged from freeing inmates held beyond the time prescribed by law to increasing the justice system’s limited budget. Jean-François, the lawyer, said more money for judges would translate into less corruption and fewer strikes.

In mid-January, the U.N. met with USAID and Haitian authorities to relaunch certain initiatives and agree on ways to reboot the judicial system and limit the number of people taken into custody. In its statement, the U.N. noted that similar efforts previously ended in “resounding failures.”

Haitian Vetiver Oil Market: Global Industry Analysis 2020-2025 by Types, Applications and Key Players

Global Haitian Vetiver Oil Market report provides in-depth analysis of Top Players, Geography, End users, Applications, Competitor analysis, Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Market Share, Import-Export data, Trends and Forecast. The report offers a comprehensive insight into the development policies and plans in addition to manufacturing processes and cost structures.

Effect of COVID-19: Haitian Vetiver Oil Market report investigate the effect of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Haitian Vetiver Oil industry. Since December 2020, the COVID-19 infection spread to practically 180+ nations around the world with the World Health Organization pronouncing it a general wellbeing crisis. The worldwide effects of the Covid infection 2020 (COVID-19) are now beginning to be felt, and will essentially influence the Haitian Vetiver Oil market in 2020

With tables and figures helping analyze worldwide Haitian Vetiver Oil market, this research provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market. Companies profiled and studied for this Haitian Vetiver Oil market report include International Fragrance and Flavor Inc., Fleurchem Inc., Frager S.A., UniKode S.A., Ernesto Ventos SA., Lluch Essence Sl., Floracopeia Inc., Robertet Groupe, Haiti Essential Oil Co., SA., and others.

The report is based upon arduous data analysis carried out by industry doyens. The all-inclusive analysis of these data provides an in-depth and detailed insight into the global Haitian Vetiver Oil market. The report further provides the new and existing players with information such as company profiles, facts and figures, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information.

The major types mentioned in the report are Conventional
, Organic
,
and the applications covered in the report are Perfume and Scent Products
, Pharmaceuticals
, Food and Beverages
, Others
,
.

For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2020 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 20 janvier 2021

Haiti needs a strong COVID-19 response to maintain national stability

Against the backdrop of longstanding fragility, exacerbated by 18 months of a protracted political, economic, social and institutional crisis, the pandemic is “stretching this country’s already fragile health system and testing its meager social safety net”, Special Representative and head of BINUH, Helen La Lime, said via videoconference (VTC).

“A country of more than 11 million inhabitants, Haiti currently only has the capacity to treat a few hundred patients at a time”, she continued, also drawing attention to “suboptimal coordination within the State” and “inadequate funding of the national response plan”. 

Ms. La Lime also maintained that if the public health and socioeconomic dimensions of the pandemic are not addressed urgently, they risk further aggravating the humanitarian and socioeconomic situation, threatening significant human suffering and large population outflows – significantly impacting the whole region.

Stepping up in Haiti

Despite the pandemic, over the past four months, BINUH and the UN Country Team have been assisting Haitian authorities and institutions in progressing towards stability and sustainable development. 

“Along with its partners, it has advised the Haitian National Police in the successful resolution of long-standing labour disputes within its ranks, and it has assisted judicial actors in devising a virtual hearings system that will allow courts to continue functioning despite the current impossibility for them to physically convene”, she told the 15-member body.

Though seemingly small in scope, she believes that these advances have contributed to a cohesive police presence, that maintains order, and a judicial system that is able to guarantee victims’ rights in accessing justice.  

“Unfortunately”, Ms. La Lime acknowledged, “we continue to operate in a context where the upholding of the principle of accountability remains a key challenge”. 

Necessary reform

In the throes of the pandemic, a resurgence in gang activity is exacerbating the already volatile situation and compounding the plight of the most vulnerable. 

“The past weeks have seen a marked increase in the frequency and intensity of clashes between rival armed gangs that are vying to control greater swathes of territory in the most populous neighborhoods of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, likely in an effort to exert influence on the outcome of elections in those constituencies”, the UN envoy explained. 

She upheld that the “vicious circle of mistrust, recrimination, and ultimately violence”, is again starting to define Haitian politics, at a time when the entire society should be unified in responding to the pandemic, and working toward lasting foundations on which to build a successful future for the nation. 

It is becoming increasingly evident that Constitutional reform is needed to break the circle and create conditions for institutional stability, good governance and the rule of law, which she called “three essential characteristics for the country to thrive”. 

“Such reform can only be successful as a result of a nationally-owned process that combines strong leadership with genuine efforts by all”, she stressed. 

In closing, the Special Representative said that BINUH will continue to encourage authorities to “amplify the fight against impunity and the promotion of human rights”. 

“Through a sound use of the panoply of tools at its disposal, the UN system in Haiti will continue to support the expansion of multiple aspects of the response to COVID-19, accompany the country on the path of crucial institutional and economic reform, and provide assistance to ensure the timely holding of free, fair, and transparent elections, in an appeased climate”, she concluded. 

PAP JAZZ : LIVE STREAM

Good news for all PAPJAZZ fans abroad that can't attend the festival this year

Thanks to BRH, All the PAPJAZZ concerts taking place on our main stages will be live-streamed on our facebook page and of the pages of Chokarella, @haitiantimes, @haitianladiesnetwork , @ministereculturedhaiti and on the @métropolehaiti

See you everyday from Jan 16>23 from 6 PM - 9 PM

MEDIA ADVISORY: Elected Officials and Law Enforcement Leaders to Hold Briefing on What to Expect Ahead of Inauguration Day and Ongoing Threats of Violence

JOIN: Press briefing on January 15, 11:00 AM ET

 Following the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, there has been heightened attention paid to extremists’ online organizing and threats levied against state capitals and Washington, D.C. Ahead of the 59th Presidential inauguration next week, the FBI and local law enforcement officials have shared public warnings of planned armed protests in all fifty states and D.C. These coordinated threats require a response that meets the urgency of this moment. While Washington D.C. has activated the National Guard for additional security next week, state and local leaders are planning their own response to protect individuals from targeted violence.

 The nonpartisan Voter Protection Program (VPP) is holding a press briefing to discuss what to expect on Inauguration Day in states across the country and the days leading up to the event, and how elected officials and law enforcement leaders are working together to address ongoing threats of violence. This week, VPP released a report, “Countering Lies about the 2020 Presidential Election,” which examines election litigation in key battleground states and debunks the false claims that helped fuel the conspiracies that incited a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol. The VPP also shared guidance for law enforcement officers on how to address unlawful paramilitary activity, drafted by our partners at 21CP Solutions, the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, and the Crime and Justice Institute.

 VPP’s network of bipartisan state and local officials is working diligently to safeguard the integrity of this election.

Airlines, Caribbean scrambling after CDC orders COVID-19 test for US travel

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JANUARY 14, 2021

Travel industry leaders and governments across the tourism-dependent Caribbean are scrambling to figure out how a new testing requirement for passengers flying into the U.S. will affect them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that as of Jan. 26, all international passengers arriving into the U.S. will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, or recovery from the virus. The test will need to be taken no more than three days prior to departure.

The measures are designed to help slow the spread of the virus. But they also risk having U.S. travelers stranded in countries where testing isn’t easily accessible, and could further decimate international air travel in a region already struggling to recover from the pandemic’s economic fallout.

Even more worrisome is the potential burden the new measures might pose on already strained health systems. Ten months into the pandemic, most countries in the Caribbean and Latin America are struggling to keep up with testing demands as two new variants emerge in the hemisphere and the number of COVID-19 infections sharply increases in one of the world’s worst hit regions.

“These growing changes within testing requirements within the travel industry will undoubtedly cause a setback in the economic recovery of small vulnerable destinations globally,” Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said, as he announced the country’s plans to ramp up testing to meet the CDC’s new requirement.

“These adjustments will place added pressure on the resources needed to treat our citizens, especially in countries that have made considerable efforts to successfully bolster their health and safety standards to insulate tourists and citizens alike.”

The CDC requirement expands on an earlier one for passengers arriving from the United Kingdom and applies to visitors as well as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The test can either be a viral reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR, COVID-19 test or a rapid antigen test.

Latin America and the Caribbean are Miami’s largest feeder market, with more than half of international overnight visitors to Miami-Dade County coming from the region in 2019, according to research from the county’s tourism marketing agency.

Though countries began opening their doors last year after months of lockdown, and many required negative COVID-19 tests for visiting foreigners, they benefited from the fact the U.S. had no such testing requirement —until now.

“These adjustments will place added pressure on the resources needed to treat our citizens, especially in countries that have made considerable efforts to successfully bolster their health and safety standards to insulate tourists and citizens alike.”

The CDC requirement expands on an earlier one for passengers arriving from the United Kingdom and applies to visitors as well as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The test can either be a viral reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR, COVID-19 test or a rapid antigen test.

Latin America and the Caribbean are Miami’s largest feeder market, with more than half of international overnight visitors to Miami-Dade County coming from the region in 2019, according to research from the county’s tourism marketing agency.

Though countries began opening their doors last year after months of lockdown, and many required negative COVID-19 tests for visiting foreigners, they benefited from the fact the U.S. had no such testing requirement —until now.

But the pandemic is raging and data suggests infections are on the rise almost everywhere in the Americas.

In the last week alone, 2.5 million people were infected with COVD-19 in the region— the highest weekly caseload since the virus first reached the hemisphere, the Pan American Health Organization said.

That number includes record-breaking figures from more than a dozen states in the U .S., which is seeing more hospitalizations— over 132,000 — than when the pandemic peaked in the spring and summer combined, PAHO said.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 39 million people across the region have become infected by COVID-19 and more than 925,000 have succumbed to the virus.

On Wednesday, PAHO officials reiterated the regional health body’s concerns over pre-departure testing, saying that it should not be used “as a tool to mitigate the impact of the spread of COVID-19.”