The Latin American Solidarity
Coalition, from the United States, and the Canada Haiti Action Network,
wish to express our grave concern about human rights in Haiti.
Our delegation came to investigate
human rights violations, and in particular, violations by the United
Nations' MINUSTAH forces. We will send a report of our delegation's
findings to the United Nations, to the United States Congress, to President
Barack Obama, to the Canadian government, and to Prime Minister Stephen
Harper. We will also circulate our findings to the media in our
respective countries.
From December 28th
to January 3rd our delegation has collected testimony from
71 residents of Port-au-Prince, Cité Soleil, Bel Air, and Petionville.
We have learned of MINUSTAH
attacks and assaults, including sexual assaults. The most serious
of these occurred in Cité Soleil and in Bel Air. The attacks
have resulted in injury and death, with no compensation for the victims
or their families. Our report will urge the United Nations'
General Assembly to investigate MINUSTAH attacks, and to arrange both
financial compensation and medical aid to victims and survivors.
We have further learned of
the exclusion of political parties from the April 2009 and upcoming
February 2010 elections. We are particularly concerned that the
Provisional Electoral Council, handpicked by President Rene Preval,
has arbitrarily excluded Fanmi Lavalas, the most popular political party
in Haiti. Our report will urge the governments of the United States
and Canada to stop their funding of the February 2010 election, and
to send no election observers, as observation might thereby legitimize
the February 2010 election.
We have learned as well about
severe problems in the judicial and prison system. Prison conditions
in Haiti are unconscionable. Furthermore, prisoners often spend
months or years in custody without charges. This violates the
Haitian constitution. Our report will express particular concern
with the case of Ronald Dauphin, who has yet to receive a proper hearing
after years in prison. Our report will also call on the Canadian
and United States governments to urge Haiti to launch a formal and public
inquiry into the disappearance of political activist Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine.
We have heard from broad sectors
of Haitian society about their terrible economic situation. Access
to a living wage remains a concern for the majority of the Haitian people.
Industrial workers face waves
of layoffs through privatization. These include employees at the
Port, the sanitation sector, and Teleco. Our report will urge our respective
governments to encourage investment in Haiti that offers a living wage.
In the informal sector, vendors
and merchants face threats to their livelihood. This pressure
comes from both government policies designed to favour large merchants,
as well as criminal attacks on their inventory. Peasants and farmers
in rural areas similarly report that they receive no help from the government.
We have especially heard that
the people in Haiti feel that conditions in their country have grown
worse since the 2004 coup against President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
People have seen little benefit of aid promised to Haitian society by
the international community, but channelled ineffectively through non-governmental
organizations. Our report will urge our governments to launch
formal investigations of their aid to Haiti.
Above all, our delegation discovered
that the Haitian people believe that their government neglects them
and ignores their demands. The main demand we heard was for the
immediate return of President Jean Bertrand Aristide. Our report
will urge the Canadian and American governments to put immediate pressure
on the government of Haiti to send a passport to President Aristide,
who remains in exile in South Africa five years after the 2004 coup
sponsored by the United States, Canada, and France.
