Cité Soleil: One Year Later

March 15, 1997 -- On March 6, 1996, Haitian security officers, including members of the Haitian National Police (HNP), committed at least six summary executions and other serious human rights violations. It was the single worst incident of police violence since the return to constitutional government in October 1994. The police response to street demonstrations and threats from a purported group called the "Red Army" illustrated numerous failings, including poor coordination among various and sometimes competing security forces, inadequate training in crowd control and the use of force, poor field leadership by commanding officers and lack of essential equipment such as radios, shields, bullet-proof vests and other defensive materials that might discourage police from resorting so quickly to the use of deadly force.

The HNP Inspector-General's office conducted an extensive investigation of the Cite Soleil incidents. Dozens of witnesses and police were interviewed, investigators visited the scene of the events and the UN CIVPOL provided various experts to help the new HNP Inspector-General's office in its first major investigation. Two of the security forces involved, the Ministerial Guard and the National Intelligence Service, were subsequently dissolved later in 1996.

Yet as of this date, the HNP has still not released its report on the March 1996 Cite Soleil police killings. Releasing this report would underscore the HNP's commitment to ending impunity and make clear that it is not involved in any cover up. This is essential if the HNP is to enjoy the trust and confidence of the Haitian population without whose support it will never effectively fight crime or identify the roots of the violence currently plaguing Cite Soleil one year later.

New Presidential Guard To Be Trained

March 15, 1997 -- The Haitian National Police (HNP) recruited 100 new police officers who will serve as a new Presidential Security Unit (PSU) after nine months' training at the Police Academy. US and other foreign experts will provide the training. Some members of the current Presidential Security Unit have been implicated in serious human rights violations. Many are former military officers who have had minimal professional police training. The new candidates had to pass rigorous physical, psychological, intelligence and health exams. Haitian and international authorities have learned one important lesson from the hasty four-month training given to the HNP in 1995 and 1996; most police experts maintain that it takes at least nine months and preferably one year to train new police officers and the new PSU will have more than double the training received by the initial HNP officers. Secretary of State for Security Robert Manuel announced that the HNP plans to open its ranks to 500 new recruits presumably to replace scores of officers dismissed for human rights abuses or violations of police rules. It is not clear how long their training will last but NCHR recommends at least nine months basic training for these new recruits.

Chile's Consul Murdered In Haiti

February 28, 1997 -- Eduardo Vega, Chile's consul in Haiti, was found murdered in his car on a dirt road off the new road from the airport through Tabarre on Feb. 12, 1997. UN peacekeepers from Canada found his vehicle on fire and after putting out the blaze discovered the consul's body according to the Associated Press. This is the second killing of a foreigner in recent months in Haiti; in December 1996 the former South Korean ambassador to Haiti was murdered in his car in broad daylight in downtown Port-au-Prince when a thief tried to steal his briefcase. Killing of foreigners has been exceedingly rare in Haiti even during periods of intense violence and tension.

NCHR Joins in Designing Anti-Violence Project

February 28, 1997 -- The National Coalition for Haitian Right's Port-au-Prince office has joined forces with representatives from the UN/OAS International Civilian Mission in Haiti and other leading Haitian human rights experts in designing an exciting new project. Called the "Violence Prevention Project," the initiative hopes to defuse tensions and prevent violence through mediation, education and training programs. The project comes at a good time given the recent events in Cite Soleil where two rival gangs burned houses and caused mayhem for several days for reasons that are still unclear. And tensions remain high in the Artibonite Valley as the government's agrarian reform program begins by distributing state-owned land.

The violence prevention project is also a good example of collaboration between the international human rights monitors from MICIVIH and their Haitian colleagues. As MICIVIH's mandate draws to an end, innovative projects and cooperation with Haitian human rights activists could comprise a solid legacy from MICIVIH's five years in Haiti.

Conference on Haiti's Future Held in Washington, DC

February 11, 1997 -- The U.S. Army War College, Georgetown University's Haiti-Cuba Project and the Inter-American Dialogue sponsored a day-long meeting in Washington D.C. on Feb. 10 called "The Challenge of Haiti's Future." About 100 people attended the meeting and heard speakers from Haiti, the U.S. government, the World Bank, Canada, the U.S. military and Haitian and U.S. NGOs. Topics covered included social and economic challenges, the new Haitian National Police, legal reform and the prospects for the international community's continued participation in rebuilding the country. There was extensive discussion of the privatization program, economic modernization and the proper approach for donors to adopt to promote sustainable development in Haiti. While the meeting was "off-the-record" to promote maximum frankness and the free exchange of views, a summary of the discussions will be made available shortly.

Haitian Lawyer Found Murdered In Port-au-Prince

February 11, 1997 -- Another Haitian lawyer, the latest in a long line of jurists, was killed sometime on Saturday Feb. 1, 1997. The body of Gerald Marcel Esteve was discovered in his downtown Port-au-Prince office on Sunday morning, Feb. 2. His office was in complete disarray and it appeared that certain documents were missing, raising the possibility that his killing was in connection with his legal work. The Port-au-Prince Bar Association reacted quickly, condemning the killing, demanding an investigation and declaring that no lawyers would not appear at any judicial proceedings until Feb. 17.

Several lawyers have been murdered in Haiti over the years. The most infamous case is the assassination in broad daylight of former Minister of Justice Guy Malary in October 1993. The prosecution of two people charged with his assassination in July 1996 was a complete fiasco and underscored the desperate straits of the Haitian justice system nearly two years after the return to constitutional government. The killers of lawyer Mireille Durocher Bertin in March 1995 have not been brought to justice. Older cases also remain unresolved, including the killings of lawyers Yves Volel (1987), Lafontant Joseph (1988) and Jacques Phillipe (1988) and the disappearance of prosecutor Laraque Exantus in 1994. Mr. Exantus has never been seen since he was abducted by armed men from his home; he had responsibility for several high profile cases, including the assassinations of Antoine Izmery and Guy Malary.