The US and UN Subject of Human Rights Petitions

author : Tyler Rougeau topic : Haiti | imperialism

by Tyler Rougeau

Note: I have written previously in these pages about the human rights situation in Haiti since the ousting of democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide; see the September, 2005 issue of Works In Progress. In sum, the situation is grave and little acknowledgement of US involvement in the violence, both militaristic and economic, is making the headlines. Despite the mainstream silence, one can read limited coverage of the political climate in Haiti in such alternative press sources as NarcoNews, Democracy Now! and, to a lesser extent, CounterPunch. These sources are excellent for national and international news, but this broad focus tends to keep Haiti out of the picture. If anyone is interested in a consistent source for news out of Haiti she can email me and request a free online subscription to the (unofficial) English transcribed Agence Haitienne de Presse (AHP). My email is redwater (at) riseup (dot) net for those interested in the mailing list. The following news brief was informed by the above mentioned mailing list.

Human rights activists filed petitions recently in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which charge that Brazilian-led United Nations peacekeepers in Haiti have participated in the murder of Haitian civilians. The petitions further accuse the United States of supporting violent repression by supplying the Haitian National Police with weapons subsequently used to carry out massacres.

Many human rights delegations have returned from Haiti since the February, 2004 coup bearing detailed accounts of terrible political violence directed at the civilian population, most of which are supporters of Aristide's Lavalas Party. In addition, several of these delegations have accused the UN peacekeeping force, MINUSTAH, with abdicating its responsibility to reform the Haitian National Police and protect the population. These recent petitions appear to be an attempt to hold the US and UN responsible for their role in participating in and supporting the violence inflicted on the Haitian body politic.

The fate of these petitions rests on the judgment of the seven Commission members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is itself an organ of the Organization of American States. These Commission members are elected from the OAS and are responsible for deciding whether the petitions filed are admissible as a case for investigation.

Meanwhile, the first rounds for the Haitian presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for December 27, 2005. A coalition of Social Democrats, calling itself Fusion, has been formed in opposition to the potential re-election of former President Rene Preval. Despite the political violence directed at Lavalas supporters, 20,000 Lavalas activists came out and showed their support for Preval at a November 3 demonstration in Port-au-Prince, as reported by AHP.