Credible accounts of gross human rights violations in Haiti must be addressed by CARICOM

Dear Editor,

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

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 SecretaryGeneral 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.

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.

Yours faithfully,

Peggy Antrobus, Vincent/ Barbados

Marion Bethel, Bahamas Roberta Clarke, Civil society advocate for a socially Caribbean

regionalism, Trinidad & Tobago Grenada/St. just

Hazel Da Breo, Director, Sweet Water Foundation, Grenada Hazel Brown, Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the advancement of Women Halimah DeShong: St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Karen de Souza, Guyana Amina Doherty, Antigua & Barbuda Honor Ford-Smith, Jamaica/Canada Asha Kambon , Chair Emancipation Support Committee Trinidad and Tobago

Khafra Kambon , Chair Emancipation Support Committee Trinidad and Tobago Kamala Canada/Barbados

Alicia Mondesire, Dominica/Canada Nan Peacocke, Guyana/St. Vincent/ Canada

Danuta Radzik, Help and Shelter, \Women & Child Rights Activist & Advocate, Guyana

Vanda Radzik, Guyana

Rhoda Reddock, Trinidad & Tobago Rev. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth | Chief Executive Officer, Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (CFPA) Alissa Trotz, Guyana/Canada Josephine Whitehead, Help and Shelter, Guyana Alexandrina Wong, Women Against Rape (WAR) Inc. Kempadoo,