Haiti Human Rights And The Bicentennial A 10 point Action Plan
Jules
Human rights and the Bicentennial -
a 10-point action plan
http://web.amnesty.org/library/print/ENGAMR360102003
On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Haitian independence on 1
January 2004, Amnesty International urges that the actions outlined in
this 10-point programme, aimed at government authorities, political
leaders, civil society groups and members of the international
community, be taken immediately and throughout 2004 to ensure
protection for the basic human rights of Haitian citizens.
KILLINGS AND TORTURE
The right to life, liberty and security of person, and to freedom from
torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 3
and 5, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR))
1. Police and justice authorities must publicly guarantee that no
unlawful killings, torture or other grave human rights violations will
be tolerated during the Bicentennial celebrations. Human rights and
other groups should be encouraged to monitor whether this promise is
met. If violations occur, as they have around other public events,
they must be immediately investigated and those responsible brought to
justice without delay; any official's failure to do this must be
punished with suspension from office pending investigation.
DISCRIMINATION
The right to equality before the law and to equal protection by the
law (art. 7, UDHR)
2. The President and leaders of all institutions must promise to
prevent and punish any abuses by political activists, regardless of
their affiliation, with the same level of diligence. They must put
their commitment into action by treating abuses by government
supporters in the same way as those attributed to anti-government
groups, making equal efforts to bring those involved to justice.
IMPUNITY
The right to effective remedy for acts violating fundamental rights
(art. 8, UDHR)
3. As ruled by the Haitian Court of Appeal, the trial documents in the
case of journalist Jean Dominique, killed in April 2000, must address
not just the identity of the actual gunmen and their accomplices but
that of the intellectual authors of the crime. The Haitian authorities
must immediately allocate all necessary financial and security
resources, and take all other steps required, to ensure full justice.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
The rights of women and the family's entitlement to protection by
society and the State (art. 16, UDHR)
4. All social and state actors must take steps, each within his or her
own area of influence, to ensure that the climate of growing political
violence in Haiti does not lead to increased violence against women,
whether through repression of women's public activism or by spilling
over into private life as domestic violence.
FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
The right to freedom of thought and conscience (art. 18, UDHR)
5. Political leaders on all sides should issue public statements
condemning any act of intolerance, intimidation or abuse carried out
by their supporters against those with different beliefs or party
loyalties. Political parties must cooperate with the authorities to
stamp out abuses and bring those responsible to justice.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
The right to freedom of opinion and expression (art. 19, UDHR)
6. The authorities must develop a plan for implementing the principles
contained in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders.(1) Recommendations by local and international human rights
groups and by human rights experts within the Organization of American
States and the Inter-American and UN human rights systems should be
considered.
PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION
The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (art. 20,
UDHR)
7. The right to peaceful assembly and association must be respected
and protected by the police. For their part, activists must follow
Haitian law with regard to organising demonstrations, and must respect
others' right to demonstrate; all stifling of protests by those with
opposing views must stop immediately.
SAFE ELECTIONS
The right to take part in government, directly or through freely
chosen representatives, and for the will of the people to be expressed
in periodic and genuine elections (art. 21, UDHR)
8. All officials, political parties and civil society groups must
commit to doing their part so that Haitians can exercise the right to
political participation without fear of violence or reprisals.
LABOUR AND TRADE UNION RIGHTS
The right to work, to just and favourable work conditions and to form
and join unions (art. 23, UDHR)
9. Companies in the new Free Trade Zone on the border of Ouanaminthe,
Haiti with the Dominican Republic must publicly commit to respecting
international standards for the conditions of their workers, including
the right to unionise. Haitian and Dominican authorities must publicly
promise to protect their citizens employed in the Zone by seeing that
the standards are enforced.
POVERTY
The right to realisation of the economic, social and cultural rights
indispensable to dignity, and to a standard of living adequate for
health and well-being (art. 22 and 25, UDHR)
10. The international community must meet the United Nations
Development Programme's request for US$ 84 million for an Integrated
Response Programme to respond to deteriorating socioeconomic
conditions in Haiti. It must also comply with the provisions of the
Organisation of American States' Resolution 822 of September 2002,
normalising donor and lending relations with Haiti. The Haitian
government must sign the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights, which calls for states to work to the maximum of
their available resources for the progressive realisation of these
rights.
* * *
On the eve of the Bicentennial, Amnesty International believes that
the Haitian people, with their exemplary history of courage and
dedication to freedom in the face of great odds, deserve concrete
measures to improve their lives. The organisation hopes that this
action plan, focusing on key areas of concern, will help Haiti move
along the path towards respect for all human rights.
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For more in-depth information on the concerns raised above, see
- "HAITI: Abuse of human rights: political violence as the 200th
anniversary of independence approaches," (AI Index: AMR 36/007/2003),
October 2003
- "HAITI: Update of the Jean Dominique investigation and the situation
of journalists," (AI Index: AMR 36/013/2002), November 2002
-"HAITI: 'I have no weapon but my journalist's trade': human rights
and the Jean Dominique investigation (AI Index AMR 36/001/2002), April
2002
- "HAITI: Steps forward, steps back: human rights 10 years after the
coup," (AI Index: AMR 36/010/2001), September 2001
- "HAITI: Human rights challenges facing the new government," (AI
Index: AMR 36/002/2001), April 2001
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(1) Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups
and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by the UN General
Assembly on 9 December 1998.