Human Rights Groups Alarmed at Abuses by Haitian National Police, Call for Reform, and an End to Impunity

January 22, 1997 -- Since the Haitian National Police (HNP) commenced operations in July 1995, its agents and officers have summarily executed at least fifteen people and beaten and mistreated scores of others, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch/Americas, the National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR), and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). The Human Rights Record of the Haitian National Police, released today, highlights serious shortcomings in police training and leadership and the urgent need for Haitian officials to aggressively prosecute police who torture and kill. Recent reports that an arrest warrant has been issued for an auxiliary member of the HNP's presidential guard for two political killings in August 1996 underscore the urgency of rooting out police abuse. Nonetheless, the report found that, for the first time in Haitian history, dozens of police officers have been fired for abusive behavior. The continued failures of Haiti's justice system to prosecute abusive police have undermined efforts to end impunity.

The creation of the HNP offered Haiti a key opportunity to establish a professional institution capable of ensuring public order and respect for the rule of law. HRW/Americas, NCHR, and WOLA note that the human rights violations documented in the report released today are a serious deviation from that path. HRW/Americas Executive Director José Miguel Vivanco warns, "It is alarming to see members of this new, U.S.-trained police force resort to abusive practices reminiscent of Haiti's repressive military. If the Haitian government does not address these issues promptly, it risks institutionalizing abuse and undermining the legitimacy of the new force."

Shortly after the September 1994 U.S. intervention in Haiti, the U.S. Department of Justice, the United Nations, and other donors provided massive financial and technical assistance to create the HNP. George Vickers, executive director of WOLA details, "The Haitian police only received four months of academy training before deployment, making it hard to envisage that they will not need further support and field training beyond the expected July 31,1997, pull-out date for the United Nations Support Mission in Haiti." He continued, "We urge U.N. member states to consider maintaining a civilian police presence in Haiti, as well as the human rights mission, through the end of 1997."

While detailing the failings of the HNP, the groups also acknowledge the challenges facing Haiti's first civilian professional police force. "Haiti has made great progress in dismantling its repressive military," comments Jocelyn McCalla, executive director of the NCHR, "but the transition to a civilian security force is proving difficult despite the huge international investment in establishing a secure environment for democracy and development in Haiti."

HRW/Americas, NCHR, and WOLA note that police authorities have acknowledged human rights problems and taken important steps to discipline abusive police and establish accountability mechanisms. This is a major step forward in Haiti, where security forces historically have enjoyed near-complete impunity. The performance of the HNP inspector general, the key internal accountability mechanism of the HNP, improved significantly during 1996, and thirteen police are now in jail awaiting trial for murder. Yet, not one policeman or woman has been convicted for any killing.

Improved police performance faces serious impediments in Haiti. Victims of abuse are often afraid to take complaints to police authorities, and the Haitian government offers no independent mechanism for them to do so. Some HNP units headed by ex-military officers have been involved in serious incidents of abuse, heightening tension about the role of former soldiers in the police. Disturbingly, HNP agents and officers have invoked the chronic weakness of the Haitian judiciary to justify police abuse. Slow progress in key areas of institutional development, including leadership recruitment and deployment, also appears to have contributed to police abuse. Police work has been further hampered by logistical and resource shortfalls and by problems that have emerged in police-community relations in some areas. Yet some areas in Haiti have shown a marked improvement in community-police relations, largely due to effective leadership, close involvement in community affairs, and quick disciplinary action for police abuses. This shows that the HNP could improve its performance nationally with proper oversight and consistent enforcement of police rules of conduct.

In light of the findings of The Human Rights Record of the Haitian National Police, HRW/Americas, NCHR, and WOLA recommend that:

• The HNP must establish a policy of zero tolerance for abuse and aggressively prosecute police who torture, kill, or commit other human rights violations.
• Police authorities must provide the inspector general with all necessary resources to conduct thorough investigations and fully exercise disciplinary measure and should facilitate Haitians' ability to file complaints of police abuse.
• The Justice Ministry must insist that judicial authorities actively pursue investigations of police abuse.
• Police authorities must make information available to the public on cases of abuse and detail disciplinary measures taken in response to citizen complaints.
• The international community and Haitian police authorities must continue to work together to strengthen police leadership and training, improve logistical capabilities, and emphasize the importance of respect for human rights.

The Haitian government and police authorities should work with nongovernmental and local organizations to improve understanding of the role of the police and enhance community relations. Public education campaigns should also emphasize the mechanisms for making complaints of police abuse.

The full report is now available on line. Just click on The Human Rights Record of Haiti's National Police to download your copy now!