From: hrcoord@igc.apc.org (Human Rights Coordinator)
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Subject: haiti bulletin 168
Date: 19 Dec 92 20:09:00 GMT
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700887:000:15390
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Dec 19 12:09:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: haiti bulletin 168

/* Written  9:57 pm  Dec 18, 1992 by jburnette@igc.apc.org in igc:reg.carib */

Haiti: Resistance & Democracy.  Excerpts from Bulletin # 168.
Port-au-Prince.  December 10, 1992

     This bulletin is produced clandestinely in Port-au-Prince.

HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS

PORT-AU-PRINCE
Disappearance of Felix Lamy: first anniversary. It is exactly a year since 
the codirector of Radio Galaxy, Mr. Felix Lamy was abducted by armed men 
who broke into the radio station on Rue Pavee. Felix Lamy has been missing 
since December 10, 1991 and the radio station remains closed.

Armed robbery at the port of La Saline. According to the December 7 
Nouvelliste, a crew member of the boat Neptune, on the Port-au-
Prince/Jeremie route, was attacked on the wharf of La Saline on Thursday 
December 3 by armed individuals who wounded him with a bullet in the jaw 
and another in the abdomen after robbing him of $20,000. The victim, who 
usually fills orders for Jeremie merchants, was taken to University 
Hospital.

PROVINCES

Denunciations by the mayor of Thomazeau: The mayor of Thomazeau vigorously 
protested barbaric acts, pillage and physical agression committed against 
the Ducasse family by civil mitiamen during the night of December 7, 1992. 
He cited the case of Evens Ducasse, incumbent justice of the peace of the 
commune, who has been prevented by attaches from going to court since 
September 30, 1991. The mayor notifies the national and international 
community that this maneuver is "in accordance with the plan of the de 
facto prime minister who wants to hold onto power at the price of the 
blood of the Haitian people". The mayor of Thomazeau "will continue to 
struggle for a government of national concord headed by a prime minister 
appointed by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide for his return to power." 
(Tropic FM, December 9, 1992)

POLITICAL SCENE

On the coming of Colin Powell: Le Nouvelliste relays the public rumor: 
American General Colin Powell visited Port-au-Prince for several hours 
last weekend. Regarding his next visit, announced last week by the Haitian 
Press Agency, neither the Supreme Commander of the Armed FOrces, nor the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince are in 
a position to confirm this story. "We have no indication that General 
Powell will return to Haiti," stated an Embassy official.

Charles Rangel reaffirms his suppport of President Aristide. In a letter 
addressed to President-elect Bill Clinton on December 7,  American 
representative Charles Rangel reaffirmed his support for the return to 
power of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The American congressman 
presented this position as one shared by many American citizens. 
Responding to a request by the new president's transition team for 
information on the Haitian crisis, Mr. Rangel deplored the fact that, 
despite declarations of good intentions, the Bush Administration never 
succeeded in forcing the putschists to back down. The representative also 
warned Mr. Clinton against the specter of invasion by Haitian refugees 
which troubles the present administration, lest he fail to realize that 
the solution to the Haitian crisis lies in Haiti itself. (Tropic FM, 
December 9, 1992)

OAS meeting on Haiti. The foreign affairs ministers of Organization of 
American States member nations will meet on December 13 at OAS 
headquarters in Washington D.C. to consider recent developments in Haiti. 
This meeting was called by the president of the ad hoc meeting of foreign 
affairs ministers on Haiti, Mr. Ronald Mckling Abouhora, Bolivian foreign 
affairs minister, and will take place at 2:30 p.m. on December 13 at OAS 
headquarters in Washington.

The Presidential Commission appointed by President Aristide condemns 
recent acts of violence in Port-au-Prince. Commission members condemn the 
assassination of the engineer, Jacques Derenoncourt, and of the patient at 
Canape Vert Hospital, Jean Sony Philogene. The Commission announced that 
the bodies of three students had been found at the General Hospital 
morgue.  The Presidential Commission also stated that formation of the 
Electoral Council is "unconstitutional". 

DE FACTO GOVERNMENT

Permanent Electoral Council: The nine  appointees to the electoral 
institution are known. The de facto government announces that a 
parliamentary delegation has presented to the Executive a resolution 
supported by signatures of 60 deputies and senators, designating three 
interim members to the Electoral Council, selected from a list of 27 
candidates selected by Departmental Assemblies.:
  - Ulrick Desire, representing the Department of the Artibonite
  - Bernadotte Larosiliere, representing the Department of the South
  - Jospeh Appolon, representing the Central Department.

The de facto Minister of Agriculture speaks on the violence at the Faculty 
of Agronomy. In a press conference at Damien on December 7, Mr. Baker 
testified to and deplored the irresponsible attitude of former dean, Fritz 
Michel, when "disrespectful students" were demonstrating and "sliding on 
the slope of ostracism". (Mr. Baker had appointed and installed a new 
dean, Dr. Robert Joseph). Mr. Baker mentioned that the walls of classrooms 
were "dirtied" with graffiti hostile to the present government. "Filthy 
words, unworthy of a university were written on the walls, littered with 
photos of President Aristide." Mr. Baker told the press that "each can 
have his idol (...) but the Faculty must be neutral and not transformed 
into a political forum." 

Gerard Bissainthe: new rector of the State Unviersity of Haiti. Mr. 
Sissainthe was installed on December 10. Gerard Bissainthe, former  
Information Minister in the Jean-Jacques Honorat de facto government, 
director/editor of the neo-duvalierist publication, 'La Nation', appealed 
to students and professors of the Faculties and Graduate Schools for 
cooperation. He declared himself open to dialogue with students about the 
dismissal of several Faculty deans.

POLITICAL PARTIES

Reactions to formation of the exceptional Electoral Council (CEP).
MDN: "illegal, immoral and arbitrary procedure". While favoring 
organization of elections, the MDN "rejects the illegal, immoral and 
arbitrary procedures by which certain members of Marc Bazin's political 
family have been drawn by forceps out of a random collection which in no 
way corresponds to the criteria for the Permanent Electoral Council 
mentioned in the tripartite agreement of the Villa d'Accueil." (Le 
Nouvelliste, December 9, 1992)

The MRN of Rene Theodore denounces the resolution adopted by the 
parliamentarians, including the senate president, for formation of an 
exceptional CEP. The MRN (...) calls for mobilization to safeguard the 
future of the country.

Francois Latortue: This is "a serious infringement on democratic 
principle". According to him, the procedure for choosing CEP members 
should follow the normal process specified in the Consitituion. The 
MODELH-PRDH leader also stated that his party will take legal steps to 
oppose this govenmental decision. (Metropole, December 9, 1992)

Jean-Claude Roy: "a scandalous initiative".  The Union of Haitian 
Constitutionalists (UCH) leader affirms that senatorial elections will not 
resolve the problem.  Jean-Claude Roy invites FNCD bloc parliamentarians 
to resign and demand a real consensus to bring the country out of crisis. 
(Metropole, December 9, 1992)

Confederation of Democratic Unity (KID): ignore the maneuver. The KID 
requests that "people and honest institutions withhold recognition from 
what is called the Permanent Provisional Electoral Council (KEPPP). (Le 
Nouvelliste, December 9, 1992)

Protest by a group of political parties. Eight political bodies, including 
MDN, PARAN (Party of National Rallying), Haitian Nationalist Party, the 
Alliance for Liberation and Advancement of Haiti, the Revolutionary Union 
Movement, contest the arrangements made by the government for formation of 
the Permanent Electoral Council and demand strict application of Article 
149 of the Constitution and resignation of prime minister Bazin and his 
government. These parties also demand establishment of mechanisms to allow 
integration of all forces in the country by formation of a government of 
National Union. They call for other political parties, professional groups 
and popular organizations to join with them to resolve the crisis. 
(Metropole, December 10, 1992)

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

France condemns the recent abductions of Haitian political militants. 
Tropic FM reports the words of Mr. Gourdeau Montagne, deputy spokesman of 
the French Foreign Affairs Ministry: "We note and condemn the new wave of 
violence which has descended on Haiti, frequently affecting people who are 
members of political groups." Alluding to the recent disappearance of 
militant politicians abducted by armed bandits, he added, "We demand the 
release of the people who were abducted..." He noted that the position 
adopted by France after the coup d'etat of September 30, 1991 remains the 
same (...) that resolution of the Haitian crisis will only be reached 
through the return of the elected and legitimate president. (...)



APPENDIX

COMMEMORATION OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS:
DECEMBER 10, 1992 PRESS CONFERENCE PRESENTED BY THE PLATFORM OF HAITIAN 
HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS.

The human rights situation in Haiti since the coup d'etat of September 29, 
1992: partial account

The account here presented corresponds with cases which can be verified 
and documented to date by the Plateform of Haitian Human Rights 
ORganizations.  As such, it is not exhaustive, but gives an idea of the 
magnitude of the repression which has prevailed in the country for 14 
months.

Violation of the right to life, security and personal integrity (Article 3 
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 19 of the Haitian 
Constitution)
The Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations already has been able 
to compile a list of 1,867 documented cases of extra-judicial executions 
(summary or arbitrary executions) committed from October 1991 to November 
1992.  Moreover, we must take into account the totals for the first days 
of the coup d'etat (about 500 victims, according to the most credible 
estimates based on direct testimony, most of which couldn't be documented 
due to the impossibility to date of conducting a rigorous inquiry), as 
well as the considerable difficulties in collecting and verifiying 
information.

Therefore, the Platform estimates a provisional total of more than 3.000 
victims of summary or arbitrary execution since the coup d'etat.
Especially deadly were the months of October and November 1991 (1,198 
cases documented by the Platform) and May 1992 (330 documented cases). 
Furthermore, 89% of the executions recorded by the Platform took place in 
Port-au-Prince or vicinity (followed by, in order, the Department of the 
North, the Artibonite, the South, the Central Plateau, then the rest of 
the country).

Violation of the right to protection against arbitrary arrest and 
detention (Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 
24 and following of the Haitian Constitution)
From October 1991 to November 1992, the Platform assembled a list of 5,096 
documented cases of victims of arbitrary and illegal arrest.  This number 
includes victims of abductions by armed civilian commando units which, in 
fact, depend directly on the Armed Forces of Haiti. Some of these are 
cases of victims who have "disappeared". The largest numbers of arbitrary 
arrests were recorded in October and November 1992 (1,146 documented 
cases) and May 1992 (914 documented cases). About 34% of the cases 
recorded by the Platform occurred in Port-au-Prince or vicinity, 16.3% in 
the Artibonite, 13.35% in the Department of the North, 12.79% in the 
Central Plateau and 9.02% in the Department of the South, the remainder 
being distributed in other regions of the country.

Violation of the right to protection against torture, pain or cruel 
inhuman or degrading treatment and the right to dignity
(Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 25 of the 
Haitian Constitution)
From October 1991 to November 1992, the Platform documented 2,171 cases of 
wounded, a certain number by bullets, mainly during the first weeks 
following the coup d'etat), victims of blow and beatings. It should be 
noted that the record of injuries during the first days after the coup 
d'etat is only partial. Estimates indicate several hundred injured, 
especially by bullets, during this brief period.

The Platform has recorded 862 cases of injuries during October/November 
1991 and 914 for the month of May 1992 (the two periods of greatest 
repression). 63.72% of cases recorded were in Port-au-Prince or vicinity, 
11.82% in the Department of the Artibonite, 10.67% in the Department of 
the North, 4.48% in the Central Plateau and 3.53% in the Department of the 
South, the remainder are distributed throughout other regions of the 
country.

To this figure must be added the victims of arbitrary arrest who were 
beaten at the time of arrest and subjected to torture during their 
detention. Three quarters of the victims of arbitrary arrest recorded by 
the Platform fall under this category.  The majority of these victims 
needed intensive care after their release and a large percentage are 
suffering serious complications following the mistreatment to which they 
were subjected. In addition, the Platform has recorded some thirty cases 
of prisoners who died as a result of torture during their detention or 
immediately after release.

Violation of the right of protection of private life, in particular 
inviolability of the home. (Article 12 of the Unviersal Declaration of 
Human Rights; Article 43 and 49 of the Haitian Constitution)
From October 1991 to November 1992, the Platform documented 2,482 cases of 
illegal searches and destructon of property.

     WHO ARE THE VICTIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS RECORDED SINCE
                        SEPTEMBER 29, 1991

SEX: 70% of the victims recorded are male.

AGE: Of the victims whose cases can be documented and whose age is known, 
45% are less than 25 years old (among these, 15% are less than 15 years 
old).

SOCIAL GROUP: A very large proportion of the victims are residents of 
working class (popular) neighborhoods of towns and the country. A large 
percentage of these are/were members of popular organizations.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: The Department of the West, especially the metropolitan 
area of Port-au-Prince, is by far the most greatly affected, since, out of 
all of the types of violations recorded, 56.77% of cases recorded occurred 
in the capital or vicinity. Neither its large population nor the relative 
accessibility of information for human rights organizations seem 
sufficient to explain these high percentages, which reflect the climate of 
terror which has invaded the capital since the first days of the coup 
d'etat.  The Departments of the Artibonite, the North, the South and the 
Central Plateau are the next most affected.

     Translated by Haiti Communications Project - Boston

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