<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<div class="container content-width3" style="--font-size:20px;">
<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
size="-2"><a class="domain reader-domain"
href="https://www.stabroeknews.com/2019/opinion/letters/07/08/credible-accounts-of-gross-human-rights-violations-in-haiti-must-be-addressed-by-caricom/?utm_source=facebookbtn&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=facebook_share&fbclid=IwAR1grBroOZcYjhoJ7FhRe0OGmqL_juL56zm3-selFWdQz6gNENLCf2jKbUI">https://www.stabroeknews.com/2019/opinion/letters/07/08/credible-accounts-of-gross-human-rights-violations-in-haiti-must-be-addressed-by-caricom/?utm_source=facebookbtn&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=facebook_share&fbclid=IwAR1grBroOZcYjhoJ7FhRe0OGmqL_juL56zm3-selFWdQz6gNENLCf2jKbUI</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">Credible accounts of gross human rights
violations in Haiti must be addressed by CARICOM<br>
</h1>
<div class="credits reader-credits">By Stabroek News - July 7,
2019<br>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="content">
<div class="moz-reader-content line-height4 reader-show-element">
<div id="readability-page-1" class="page">
<div>
<p>On April 24, 2019 Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43)
led a delegation to Haiti, which included actor and
human rights activist Danny Glover; journalist and
Barbados national Margaret Prescod of Pacifica Radio’s
“Sojourner Truth” and Women of Color/Global Women’s
Strike; civil rights lawyer Walter Riley; Haitian
diaspora leader Pierre Labossiere; and human rights
lawyer Brian Concannon of the Institute for Justice
& Democracy in Haiti. During this visit the
delegation received extremely troubling reports of gross
violations of human rights including killings.
Testimony of massacre survivors was taken in La Saline
by an earlier human rights delegation.</p>
<p>According to information received by US Congresswoman
Maxine Waters, victims, human rights groups and
journalists claimed that the attacks were organized by
Haitian political authorities in order to punish those
neighbourhoods for organizing protests against
corruption and brutality.</p>
<p>Margaret Prescod, a delegation member, recounted “As a
mother and a campaigner on women’s rights, it was
heartbreaking to hear the victims describe the killings
of their children and spouses, and the burning of their
homes with everything they own inside.”</p>
<p>Human rights lawyer Brian Concannon, who has been
involved in 24 years of investigating political violence
cases in Haiti, “noted the similarity between the La
Saline massacre and other prominent attacks, including
the 1987 attack on the St. Jean Bosco church [where Jean
Bertrand Aristide was priest] in La Saline, attacks by
the Duvalier dictatorship and the 1994 Raboteau
massacre. With the Ton-Ton Macoutes, FRAPH [Front for
the Advancement and Progress of Haiti] and now the
violent groups under the Moïse administration, the
motives have been the same—silencing calls for justice
and democracy—as have the brutal methods. If we do not
assure justice for La Saline now, there will be more
victims.”</p>
<p>On May 2nd, 2019 in Washington, DC, following Maxine
Waters’ visit to Haiti, Haitian parliamentarians
confirmed the human rights organizations’ account of the
extrajudicial executions and attacks on Haitians in La
Saline.</p>
<p>We consider these reports to be credible and are
calling on CARICOM and the heads of Government Meeting
to urgently address accounts of what appear to be
politically motivated attacks, killings and burning of
homes carried out against Haitians living in the areas
of La Saline, Cite Tokyo and Cite Vincent and further
documented reports of at least 70 extrajudicial
executions (there are reports that the numbers are
higher), as well as multiple assaults, arsons and rapes.</p>
<p>We note that in the communiqué issued at the conclusion
of the 40th regular meeting of the Conference of Heads
of Government of the Caribbean Community, Gros Islet,
St. Lucia, 3-5 July, 2019, Heads of Government agreed
that a delegation “comprising the Chairman and the Prime
Ministers of The Bahamas and Jamaica and the
Secretary-General would visit Haiti in order to inform
the Community of the situation in that country.” We call
on the delegation to ensure that the visit is one that
can inspire the trust of the Haitian people, by meeting
with grassroots leaders and survivors of the massacres
and other politically targeted attacks, and by calling
for those involved to be held to account. Additionally,
we call on CARICOM to press for accountability for the
use of billions of PetroCaribe dollars.</p>
<p>Haitian people must be assured that their political
engagement will be guaranteed and respected. Since 2004
there have been consistent reports about problems with
Haiti’s elections; we call on CARICOM to work with the
Haitian people to ensure free, fair and credible
elections that reflect the will of the Haitian
majority. </p>
<p><strong>Yours faithfully,</strong></p>
<p><strong>Peggy Antrobus, Grenada/St. Vincent/ Barbados</strong></p>
<p><strong>Marion Bethel, Bahamas</strong></p>
<p><strong>Roberta Clarke, Civil society</strong></p>
<p><strong>advocate for a socially just Caribbean</strong></p>
<p><strong>regionalism, Trinidad & Tobago</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hazel Da Breo, Director, Sweet Water
Foundation, Grenada</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hazel Brown, Network of NGOs of</strong></p>
<p><strong>Trinidad and Tobago for the advancement of
Women</strong></p>
<p><strong>Halimah DeShong: St. Vincent & the</strong></p>
<p><strong>Grenadines</strong></p>
<p><strong>Karen de Souza, Guyana</strong></p>
<p><strong>Amina Doherty, Antigua & Barbuda</strong></p>
<p><strong>Honor Ford-Smith, Jamaica/Canada</strong></p>
<p><strong>Asha Kambon , Chair Emancipation Support
Committee</strong></p>
<p><strong>Trinidad and Tobago</strong></p>
<p><strong>Khafra Kambon , Chair Emancipation Support
Committee</strong></p>
<p><strong>Trinidad and Tobago</strong></p>
<p><strong>Kamala Kempadoo, Canada/Barbados</strong></p>
<p><strong>Alicia Mondesire, Dominica/Canada</strong></p>
<p><strong>Nan Peacocke, Guyana/St. Vincent/ Canada</strong></p>
<p><strong>Danuta Radzik, Help and Shelter, \Women &
Child Rights Activist &</strong></p>
<p><strong>Advocate, Guyana </strong></p>
<p><strong>Vanda Radzik, Guyana</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rhoda Reddock, Trinidad & Tobago</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth | Chief
Executive Officer, Caribbean</strong></p>
<p><strong>Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Alissa Trotz, Guyana/Canada</strong></p>
<p><strong>Josephine Whitehead, Help and Shelter, Guyana</strong></p>
<p><strong>Alexandrina Wong, Women Against</strong></p>
<p><strong>Rape (WAR) Inc.</strong></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://freedomarchives.org/">https://freedomarchives.org/</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>