President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Palais
National
Champs
de Mars
Port-au-Prince,
Haiti
October
30, 2001
Dear
President Aristide:
We are writing to express our deep concern for the safety and welfare
of Haiti’s most prominent human rights defenders.
Earlier today, the office of the National
Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR) in Haiti sent
a communiqué to its international supporters and allies
to inform them of the gravity of the recent wave of
death threats that they, and colleagues at the Platform
for Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH), have
been receiving. These threats began earlier this month, following
the publication of an open letter from NCHR to the
leadership of the Haitian National Police (PNH).
The NCHR letter deplored the increasing politicization
evident among the ranks of the police and the resulting
weakening of the already fragile public security situation.
Of particular concern is the fact that these threats began shortly after
your meeting with the leadership of the National Police
and your call for action to be taken against
the officers named in NCHR's courageous letter.
Trusted sources close to the police and the Fanmi Lavalas Party report
to Pierre Espérance, the director of NCHR in Haiti,
that he, as well as members of his staff and that
of the POHDH, are mentioned by name on a list currently
in circulation in Haiti, marked for assassination.
There have been other recent threats as well.
In June of this year, Espérance publicly condemned
the government’s stated “zero tolerance”
policy toward crime.
In response, René Civil of the so-called popular
organization Jan l’Pase l’Pase (JPP) and
Paul Raymond of Ti Komite Legliz (TKL) publicly called
on the government to show zero tolerance toward NCHR
and other human rights organizations. During the month of August, Espérance also
received several menacing calls on his cellular phone. The different callers warned that if NCHR continued
to press for justice in the Jean Dominique case, he
would be eliminated.
Our concern is heightened
by the fact that on one occasion, threats against
Mr. Espérance were followed by an assassination attempt
from which he was fortunate to escape with his life.
On March 8, 1999, Espérance
was attacked in front of the NCHR office after NCHR
and the POHDH had received similar threats.
His truck was riddled with bullets from automatic
machine gun fire, and he was shot in the shoulder
and knee. We
are gravely concerned that unless the current threats
are properly addressed, they too may be translated
into action. We
are also greatly concerned that, to date, there has
been no progress in the investigation of that assassination
attempt.
The UN's Declaration on Human Rights Defenders,
adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1998, provides
that everyone has the right to promote and protect
all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Under the
Declaration, all States, including Haiti, are committed
to adopting all necessary legislative, administrative,
and other measures to ensure that the rights of human
rights defenders such as Mr. Espérance and his colleagues
are effectively guaranteed.
We call on you as President to ensure that the
threats received by the staff of NCHR Haiti and its
partners in the Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations
are promptly investigated and the perpetrators brought
swiftly to justice.
Secondly, it is imperative that security be
provided to NCHR and POHDH staff and work places,
specifically Pierre Espérance, Vilès Alizar, Jean
Simon Saint Hubert, and Serge Bordenave. Appropriate security arrangements should be
worked out in consultation with these groups and individuals.
Finally, we request that the Ministry of Justice
re-open its investigation into the March 1999 assassination
attempt against Pierre Espérance.
Given the urgency of the situation, swift and effective measures are required.
Not only are such actions crucial to ensure
the protection of the staff of NCHR and POHDH, they
will also send a strong message in support of the
right of all Haitians to freedom of opinion and expression,
including the right to criticize government policy.
Sincerely,
Haiti@inxil.com
· James
R. Morrell, executive director