Unprecedented human rights abuses in Haiti

GENEVA, CMC – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, Tuesday said that the scale of human rights abuses is unprecedented in modern Haitian history.

“The escalation of violence has had a devastating impact on the population. All human rights are impacted, Turk said in a video message to the UN Human Rights Council.

“This session on Haiti is taking place at a critical moment for the country. A situation that was already alarming has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks. This is clearly documented in the report presented by my Office today,” he said.

He said Haiti is in the grip of total chaos which started with civil unrest at the beginning of the year and has been followed, since the end of February, by unrelenting, coordinated attacks by criminal gangs against police stations, prisons, critical infrastructure and other public and private facilities with the stated aim of deposing the current authorities.

Turk said a state of emergency is currently in place and while while institutions are crumbling, the transitional government is not yet established.

“The people of Haiti await anxiously the outcome of the talks to establish these transitional arrangements, which would eventually pave the way for elections. The deployment of the Security Council mandated Multinational Security Support mission is also urgent,” he said, adding “people in Haiti cannot wait any longer.

Haiti has been thrown into severe political and socio economic chaos ever since its President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in on July 7, 2021 with criminal gangs now seeking to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry, who remains stranded in the United States and unable to return to his French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

Henry had travelled to Kenya to sign an agreement allowing for the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission,  an international police force approved by the United Nations Security Council on October 2 last year.

“The ongoing insecurity has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Haiti,” the UN said over the weekend, adding that 360,000 people are currently displaced, including some 160,000 in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, and more than 1,000 schools have been closed across the country.

Last month, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping, which is spearheading efforts for a Haitian-led solution to end the situation in the French-speaking CARICOM country, said that an agreement had been reached that would allow for Prime Minister Henry to step down and for a transitional governance arrangement “which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near term security and the road to free and fair elections”.

CARICOM said that it was also agreed that there would be the creation of a CPT comprised of seven voting members and two voting observers.

Those with votes include the ‘Pitit Desalin’ party headed by Jean-Charles Moise, the EDE party of former prime minister Charles Joseph; the Fanmi Lavalas party; the December 21 coalition led by Henry; the Montana Accord group; and members of the private sector.

The non-voting members will be represented by one member from civil society and one member of the interfaith community.

On Sunday, the CPT also issued a statement denying that it had issued a document that discusses the dismissal of senior public officials and deals with the procedures for its installation.

In his address to the UN Human Rights Council, Turk said there had been a “shocking rise in killings and kidnappings” as well as pervasive sexual violence in the country that is very likely to have reached levels not seen before.

“First and foremost, the immediate priority must be restoring a degree of public order to prevent further harm to the population from violence and to ensure access to life-saving humanitarian assistance,” Turk said.

The UN human rights office said that gang violence had left more than 1,500 people dead in the first three months of the year.

Turk said between 1 January and 20 March alone, 1,434 people have died and 797 have been injured in gang-related violence across the country.

“This has been the most violent period since the establishment two years ago of the human rights monitoring mechanism on gang-related violence, set up by our human rights presence in Haiti,” he said, adding “an estimated 5.5 million Haitians are now dependent on humanitarian protection and assistance, including three million children.

He said in the report being presented today, “we have set out recommendations for steps that must be taken urgently.

“First and foremost, the immediate priority must be restoring a degree of public order to prevent further harm to the population from violence and to ensure access to lifesaving humanitarian assistance.”

Turk said this requires strong cooperation with the mandated Multinational Security Support mission whose deployment,”I hope, will be imminent.

“All measures taken to restore security must be fully compliant with human rights standards. Humanitarian corridors need to be established as soon as possible.

“I call on all national stakeholders to place the national interest firmly at the centre of their current talks so an agreement can be reached, without further delay, on transitional government arrangements.”

Turk said that the transitional authorities must work towards the conditions for free and fair elections.

“And they must start the process of strengthening the police and justice institutions so that the rule of law is re-established and, with it, an end to impunity.”

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