Canada says not concerned about human rights in Haiti

Human rights for Haitians? “Not our concern,” says Canadian embassy

by Roger Annis

On August 15, the two Canadian members of the Fondasyon Mapou/Haiti Priorities Project-organized human rights delegation to Haiti took our concerns about the disappearance and apparent kidnapping of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine to the Canadian embassy in Port au Prince. This writer was one of the two. Lovinsky had been accompanying and advising our delegation.

Lovinsky is a longtime and respected democratic rights figure in Haiti. He was forced into exile for two years by the illegal regime that took power in Haiti after the coup and foreign intervention of February 29, 2004. As of this writing, August 26, he is still being held for ransom by unknown kidnappers.

We went to the embassy in order to report to the ambassador or his representative our grave concerns about the danger to Lovinsky’s life and the threat to democracy in Haiti that his kidnapping represents. At each level of the embassy administration, we were asked if the person we were concerned about was a Haitian citizen. When we answered “yes”, we were met with a rolling of the eyes. Only when we insisted on being heard were we shuffled on to the next administrative level.

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Health care project in Haiti

by Roger Annis
(Note: This report contains corrected figures as of August 22.)

PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI, August 19–Three months ago, a group of nurses and other health care professionals joined together to form the Syndicat haitien des professionels(elles) de santé (SHPS–Haitian Union of Health Professionals). Their mission is to provide health care to towns throught central ande southern Haiti through the use of mobile health clinics.

This extraordinary project is supported by the transport workers of the APCH union. The health workers travel by bus to outlying areas to provide consultations, care and medications. They charge 50 gourdes (US$1.50) for a consultation and for medication if needed. That compares to 100 gourdes for a consultation in the feeble public health system and many hundreds of additional gourdes if medication is required. They receive no government support at this time because, they are told, no such resources exist.

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Canada, and Haiti’s justice system

by Roger Annis

Yesterday, our delegation met with the commissioner (“Commissaire”) of the West Department of Haiti, the department that includes Port au Prince. He is a very busy man, but graciously gave us a half hour of his time.

The commissioners are the representatives in each of Haiti’s ten department of the office of the President. They are responsible for the functioning and delivery of services by the state, especially of its justice ministry. Mr. Gassant gave us an overview of the difficulties and challenges of the justice system as he experiences it.

“Our government is definitely concerned about human rights in Haiti,” he began. “Despite all of our work, it is difficult to get the institutions of the country to respect the law. We have come to the conclusion that many in the police do not understand the law, nor does much of the public. Human rights groups that come here to investigate are not touching the foundation of our problems if they do not look into the institutional problems.”
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The return to Haiti of Father Gerard Jean-Juste

Today, Haiti’s most beloved and respected political rights fighter and religious figure, Father Gerard Jean-Juste, returns to the country after a one and a half year convalescence in Miami. He left on January 29, 2006 after he was diagnosed with leukemia and the coup regime grudgingly allowed him to travel there for treatment.
Prior to his diagnosis, Jean Juste was one of the high-profile political prisoners jailed by the Canada/U.S./France-backed coup regime.

Attached is his announcement of his return to the country. Note the third paragraph in which he makes a sharp critique of the human rights situation prevailing in the country, including a call for the release of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. His critique amounts to a stinging rebuke of the “democracy” that the UN and the foreign powers have brought to Haiti.

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Trade union struggles and celebrations

Today, myself and another member of the delegation attended an anniversary celebration of the Confederation des travailleurs haitiens (CTH), held at their headquarters in downtown Port au Prince.

The celebration was a lively and festive event, starting at 10 am and lasting well into the afternoon. I’m guessing that 200 people attended in total, men and women both, and many young people. There were lots of speeches given, some tracing the history that the union has lived since its founding in 1959, others focused on the present challenges facing working people in Haiti.

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Protesters condemn kidnapping in Port au Prince

by Roger Annis

Today, more than one hundred angry people took to streets of central Port au Prince to condemn the kidnapping of Lovinsky Pierre Antoine. He is a longtime political rights fighter and leader of the September 30 Foundation, a group founded in 2004 by Lovinsky. Its principle activity has been to fight for the rights of people illegally incarcerated in Haiti.

Lovinsky lived in exile from 2004 to 2006 following the coup d’etat and foreign intervention against the elected government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The rally today was held in the grand plaza in front of Haiti’s presidential palace. It was organized by Lovinsky’s colleagues in the September 30 Foundation and by other human and social rights groups. More protest actions will take place in the coming days.

Protesters are demanding that the Haitian government and police use all necessary resources to secure Lovinsky’s release. They also condemn the conditions of lawlessness that have marked Haiti since the February 2004 coup d’etat and foreign intervention.

Large numbers of Brazilian soldiers were stationed in front of the presidential palace, across the street from the protest. Few Haitian National Police were visible.

Lovinsky’s case has been widely publicized on radio in Haiti. The print press has yet to cover the story.