18350: Blanchet: Fw: 9 Feb 2004: Haiti: Rule of law must be protected - Amnesty International (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>
----- Original Message -----
From: <Caribb-non-esc@amnesty.org>

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE


AI Index:       AMR 36/004/2004    (Public)
News Service No:         028
9 February 2004

  Haiti: Rule of law must be protected


The precarious rule of law in Haiti and the Haitian institutions meant to
be responsible for protecting human rights were further weakened this
weekend, said Amnesty International after armed gangs attacked police
stations, prisons and court houses in a number of towns, forcing officials
to flee.

        Reports indicate that more than 15 people, including police
officers and local residents, have been killed.

        "Amnesty International deplores the reported killings of local
inhabitants and bystanders during armed confrontations between police and
armed gangs in the towns of Gonaives and St. Marc," the organization said.


        "We call on the Haitian police, while carrying out their duty to
protect the rule of law in the face of these threats to public security,
to respect international human rights standards regarding the use of force
and firearms. Moreover, the attacks must be investigated and those
responsible brought to justice."

        It has not been possible to confirm exact details of those killed
or injured as both telephone and road access to the region has been
inhibited during the unrest.

               "All actors, whether in government, in opposition parties
or in armed groups, must immediately take steps under the Haitian
Constitution and international law to halt the breakdown in the rule of
law. Strict compliance with human rights standards is an essential
condition for resolving the crisis currently affecting the country,"
Amnesty International concluded.

Background information

The police station in the main Artibonite town of Gonaives was overrun by
attackers on 5 February, and a police attempt to regain possession on 7
February failed after an intense firefight.  Similarly, the police station
in the nearby town of St. Marc was taken over by armed attackers on 7
February, and government buildings, as well as the town's port, were
subsequently looted.

                The attacks in Gonaives have been attributed to an armed
group formerly known as the 'Cannibal Army,' which is now referred to as
the "Front de résistance révolutionnaire de l'Artibonite," "Artibonite
Revolutionary Resistance Front."  Its leaders have called for the
departure of President Jean Bertrand Aristide and the choosing of a
replacement by opposition political parties.  In St. Marc, the destruction
of the police station and court house have been attributed to members of
another group also calling for Aristide's replacement. Police stations and
other government buildings have been ransacked, and roads barricaded, in a
number of other towns throughout the Artibonite, North and West
departments of Haiti.

        The attacks have been carried out in a context of widening
political violence in which the Haitian National Police have been accused
of numerous violations, armed groups have targeted government officials
and activists, most frequently those supportive of embattled President
Jean Bertrand Aristide have committed abuses against perceived opponents.



Public Document
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