Haiti: Human Rights Activists Reject "Summary Executions",
Criticize President
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jun 21, 2001
Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio
Human rights organizations are asking President Aristide to
reconsider his
decision following his statement about criminals. According to
human rights
activists, the practice of summary executions is unacceptable.
While
condemning criminal behaviour, leaders of human rights
organizations say
that society should take a stand on morality. Pierre Esperance of
the
National Coalition of Haitian Rights [NCHR] spoke as follows:
[Esperance - recording, in Creole] We believe that what the
criminals
[Creole: zenglendos] are doing in the country is unacceptable. But,
as a
human rights organization, we do not agree with the summary
execution
system. It is not possible to have a police corps that is there to
arrest
and kill people. That way will create regretful precedents,
personal
revenge, political assassinations, etc. Because the police corps is
not
supposed to be a criminal organization.
Our society should stand on morality. The country's constitution
does not
provide for the death penalty and even then it would have to be up
to the
justice department to make the appropriate decision.
We believe that the head of state will have to review his decision.
It is
true that the country is facing an insecurity problem but it is up
to the
authorities to develop good security plans and to make the effort
to fight
against the existing insecurity with a functional judicial system.
In this
way, when acts of banditry are perpetrated the judiciary can punish
them
accordingly.
We definitely do not agree with the summary execution system. If we
were to
support the statement that the president made, then that would
create a bad
precedent, personal revenge, political assassinations, etc.
Therefore, our
society should take a stand on morality.
Source: Radio
Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 11:45 gmt 21 Jun
01
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.
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