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

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

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

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

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

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.”

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 7 janvier 2021

 Under the Radar and at Warp Speed Cuba Leads Latin America Towards Affordable Covid-19 Vaccines

Posted by Internationalist 360° on December 15, 2020

Amy Goodman explored “The Case for People’s Vaccines.”

While those interviewed by Ms. Goodman called for early and affordable access to inoculations in the Global South, no mention was made of perhaps the most promising source of such therapies. The neglected source was not only promising but implicitly revealed the swindle represented by Big Pharma’s anticipated exorbitant prices for Covid-19 vaccines.

It may surprise readers to know that the source in question is Cuba.

Cuba’s Achievement

In fact, Cuba is the first nation in Latin America to receive authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO) to perform officially sanctioned tests of the four vaccines it now has under development. Those trials have already completed their clinical stages. Promising results so far have Cubans looking forward to completing the (cost free) inoculation of its entire population of 12 million by the end of March 2021.

The vaccines under trial are named Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Abdala (CIGB66) and Mambisa (CIGB669). None of them is dependent for its preservation on super-cold temperatures.

Mambisa is worthy of special note, since as a nasal spray, it requires no needles, but responds locally to the specifically respiratory nature of Covid-19.

Failure to report such developments even on “Democracy Now” illustrates the complicity of our mainstream media in shunning any news from socialist nations like Cuba that might possibly illustrate the superior ability of their economies to deliver high quality, no-cost healthcare to citizens even during a worldwide pandemic. Moreover, absent the profit motive, Cuba will predictably deliver its vaccines to its neighbors at vastly cheaper prices than its capitalist counterparts.

Cuba’s Vaccine History

This prediction is based on the fact that Cuba has long been a supplier of vaccines and doctors not only to the Global South, but to countries such as Italy during the height of Covid-19’s first wave. Additionally, with its unequaled ratio of doctors to citizens, the island nation’s response to the pandemic has effectively limited documented coronavirus infections despite supply problems caused by the continued U.S. embargo of the island.

All four developments (the superabundance of doctors, the relative control of Covid-19, Cuba’s research capacities, and the export of medical care to other countries) result from the foresight and vision of Fidel Castro, the revered father of his country. In the early 1980s he sparked initiation of a vigorous homegrown biotech sector – largely to cope with the U.S. embargo’s persistent attempts to deprive the island of medical supplies.

The result was the emergence of 20 research centers and 32 companies employing 20,000 people under the umbrella of the state-run BioCubaFarma Corporation. Recently, spokespersons connected with the corporation tweeted, “The #CubanVaccineCOVID19 is dedicated to the sower of dreams: Fidel. Our tribute to the one who believed in the strength and future of #CubanScience.”

BioCubaFarma produces 8 of the 12 vaccines Cuba uses to immunize its own population against diseases such as measles and polio. Cuba has also exported hundreds of millions of vaccine doses to more than 40 countries (e.g. to deal with meningitis and hepatitis B).

All of this represents just one more illustration of socialism’s comparative efficiency in the face of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Even a poor blockaded country like Cuba can respond to an unprecedented crisis such as the coronavirus without holding sick people hostage to the confiscatory demands of privatized natural monopolies like Big Pharma. The latter’s claims to mammoth profits based upon (largely government-funded) costly research are simply ideological cover for overweening corporate greed that none of us should stand for.

People’s vaccines can be produced at warp speed and at low cost – despite news blackouts even on “Democracy Now.”

Mike Rivage-Seul: Emeritus professor of Peace & Social Justice Studies. Liberation theologian. Activist. Former R.C. priest.

Explore Port-au-Prince’s Triumphant Art Scene

Haiti’s capital city may still be recovering from the destructive earthquake that struck in 2010, but its art community is thriving

By Jennifer Billock

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM 

 In the 1940s, a watercolor painter from the United States, DeWitt Peters, moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When he arrived, he observed the sprawling amounts of local art—adorning everything from walls and sidewalks to the local taxi buses called "tap-taps." The Indigenist movement was in full swing in Haiti; local artists were making both a name for themselves in the country and helping establish the nation's identity as separate from the United States' occupation through the art they created.

At the time, though, Haitian artists hadn’t considered that they could make money from their art. The small nation didn't even have its own art museum yet, so Peters opened Le Centre d'Art, an art gallery and school to encourage and promote local untrained artists, in 1944. Artists already popular in Haiti, including Hector Hyppolite, the Voodoo artist colloquially known as the "grandfather of Haitian art," made their way to the center and took up residence there; the center provided government-funded equipment and materials many artists couldn't afford.

Locally, the work produced at the center became well known, bringing in more students, most of whom were low-income locals. The government paid salaries to all the teachers, among them Peters and other accomplished Haitian artists of the time. And internationally, Haitian art took hold thanks to tourists visiting the small nation, spreading the word and bringing work back home. New York's Museum of Modern Art was the first major museum to acquire a piece of Haitian art.

Haiti Pushes Back on US Lawmakers' Call for Transitional Government in 2021

VOA News - Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, is outraged about a statement issued Tuesday by three Democratic U.S. congressmen calling for a “Haitian-led transition back to democratic order.”

“It is really disturbing,” Edmond told VOA on Wednesday in an exclusive interview. “It saddens us to see democratic officials call for a transitional government. We don’t think that going through a transition again will help Haiti.”

Haiti has had eight provisional governments since the departure of Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986.

The joint statement issued by Representatives Andy Levin, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Gregory Meeks, incoming chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Albio Sires, chair of the Western Hemisphere civilian security and trade subcommittee, says they are watching events unfold in Haiti with “growing concern.”

“Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is pursuing an increasingly authoritarian course of action, issuing a series of recent decrees that include creating an extraconstitutional domestic ‘intelligence’ force,” the statement said. “His latest actions are reminiscent of past anti-democratic abuses the Haitian people have endured, including the run-up to the Duvalier dictatorship. We will not stand idly by while Haiti devolves into chaos.”

'Limit the decrees'

Jon Piechowski, U.S. deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, echoed that concern in an exclusive interview with VOA Creole earlier this week.

“We are asking the government of Haiti to limit the decrees and only issue them to prepare the legislative elections or address issues pertaining to the well-being, health, security [of the Haitian people] until a new Parliament is installed and can address constitutional matters,” Piechowski said.

Moise has been ruling by decree since January 2020 because Parliament is out of session. The terms of two-thirds of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate expired months before the pandemic hit the Caribbean nation in March.

In their statement, Levin, Meeks and Sires said they would work with the incoming Biden administration and international partners to develop a multilateral strategy to address those concerns and hold accountable Haitian officials who violate the people’s human rights.

The lawmakers said they would develop a U.S. policy that “prioritizes the rights and aspirations of the Haitian people and supports a credible, Haitian-led transition back to democratic order.”

Meeting expected

Edmond told VOA he immediately reached out to the congressmen and intends to meet with them in the new year.

“I am looking forward to talking with them in January,” he said.

Haiti has faced increased pressure from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Organization of American States and the United Nations to hold elections as soon as technically possible.

Pompeo Calls on Haiti to Hold ‘Overdue’ Legislative Elections

A newly created electoral council is charged with organizing elections, but it faces pushback from Haiti’s opposition

But the ambassador said the January 2021 timeframe suggested by the U.S. was not feasible because the Moise government believes an overhaul of the current constitution is necessary first and plans to hold a referendum on that in early 2021.

“I think we have already met them in the middle,” Edmond told VOA. “We have agreed to elections. President Moise has done his job in naming an electoral council. We are working on possible calendars to submit now.”

Pressed on a precise date for elections, Edmond said the Moise administration did not want to give a date it could not realistically uphold. He said an election schedule was in the works and would be made public early next year.

As for the Provisional Electoral Council, Edmond told VOA that members were working with Haiti’s international partners “to make sure the election is fair. We understand this is the path to go.”

But Haiti’s opposition has criticized the Moise government for unilaterally naming members of the council without seeking its input and has vowed not to participate in any elections organized by the administration. The opposition urged Moise to step down February 7, 2021. He responded that his five-year term would end on February 7, 2022.

Concern about human rights

With regard to the human rights concerns expressed by both Republicans and Democrats, Edmond said the Moise government shared those concerns.

“What is going on in those slums [La Saline, Village de Dieux] is gang battles for turf control,” Edmond said. “What happened in La Saline, the government condemned it several times. There is a legal process going on. An investigative judge was appointed on this issue — he is working on it. We need to be very patient and make sure that these victims receive justice, because we understand that these crimes cannot remain unpunished. But the executive [branch] cannot interfere in the judicial process.”

During the La Saline massacre in November 2018, armed gangs killed at least 71 people, raped numerous women and destroyed the homes of hundreds of residents. U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly called on Haiti’s government to bring those responsible to justice.

The ambassador said the Moise administration had also prioritized training for the national police force, which has been under fire for human rights violations.

Reflecting on 2020 and his mission to reinforce bilateral relations, Edmond, who previously served as Haiti’s foreign minister, said that “it has been a pleasure to work with the Trump administration, and we are looking forward to working with the Biden administration.”

But at the end of the day, “Haiti will always handle its foreign policy considering its [own] interests,” he said.