Group items tagged

8,000 Haitians have been killed by cholera, and hundreds more die each year.  Haiti had avoided cholera for a century before the outbreak triggered by United Nations troops systematically dumping untreated, infected human waste into the country’s primary river. Despite overwhelming evidence of the UN’s responsibility, evidence that includes the analysis of the UN’s own experts, Haitian victims have not received so much as an apology for their grievous losses, much less a remedy.

after three years of UN stonewalling, the outlook is finally improving for Jacqueline Olonville and other cholera victims. Earlier this month, at a Geneva ceremony honoring the work of Haitian human rights attorney Mario Joseph, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay deviated from her prepared remarks. “Those who suffered as a result of that cholera (should) be provided with compensation,” Pillay said.

Well, the—I’m not sure what the stated American policy is, but of course the Bush administration policy was to forbid his return. But any obstruction of his return by any power would constitute a violation of international law, a violation of the UN Charter, a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a violation of any number of major UN human rights conventions. You cannot restrict people either from leaving their country—citizens, either from leaving their country or returning to their country. He has every right to return home, should he want to. And one would hope that no administration, the American administration nor any other, would stand in the way of his passage home.

On April 13th the camp residents received a visit from Renold Georges who claimed to be the owner of the land.  He threatened to burn and bulldoze the camp if they did not leave the camp.  The following Monday a section of the camp was set on fire by two motorcyclists, possibly in the hope of keeping Renold Georges promise to destroy the whole camp.  

The police arrested two camp residents, Meril Civil and Darlin Lexima who was released after 24 hours.   Lexima reported to the camp lawyers that he was beaten and that he believed Civil was also beaten.  According to the police, Civil was taken to the hospital but died.  However,  Lexima believes he was killed in the police station and was already dead when he arrived at the hospital.

Elie is well known to the Commissariat Delta Force as he was arrested in August following floods brought about by Hurricane Sandy.  The camp residents were protesting about the flooding in the camp, the lack of water and the many tents which were destroyed.   Elie spent three days in police custody during which time he was severely beaten.  He was released after the court threw out the case for lack of evidence.    He believes the police and particularly the Delta force have a vendetta against him.