RNDDH Director Pierre Esperance
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) – The National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) is deeply concerned by the rise of insecurity and organized violence in Haiti, particularly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, at a time when the Haitian authorities talk about establishing a rule of law in the country.
For several months, RNDDH notes that the Haitian population is completely abandoned. Despite the fact that spectacular cases of murder, kidnapping, robbery, spinning aboard motorcycles followed by robberies, rapes, daily arson, the Haitian authorities do not seem assess the magnitude of the situation with a view to develop appropriate responses.
It does not go a day without blasting, around the country, of automatic weapons fire. On a daily basis, citizens coming out of commercial banks are shadowed by gunmen on motorcycles. They are then beaten, shot and wounded or killed and their money away.
For the only period January 1 to March 14, 2012, at least one hundred forty-seven (147) people were killed, one hundred thirty (130) shot. Among the victims are listed five (5) police officers and one (1) former military.
03.15.12 | Vision 2000
Murders
On 13 January 2012, a Haitian military from demobilized Armed Forces of Haiti (FAD’H), named Roc PRESENT, is riddled with bullets at the corner of Streets Miracles and Dr. Aubry.
On 19 January 2012, Maxime Alcius, driver of Radio Metropole’s reporter, Anthony Lapeyre, died of his injuries after the bandits opened fire on the journalist’s car. The murder was perpetrated on the road to the Port-au-Prince International Airport.
January 19, 2012, Emmanuel ESPOIR, an engineer by training, was murdered in the Street Pavee.
On 23 January 2012, an unidentified individual was killed and six (6) are injured during a struggle for domination between two (2) gangs called Base Cameroon and Base 117, located in the Street Saint-Martin, Bel-Air.
January 24, 2012, three (3) people died by gunfire in Port de Paix. They are Jean Odlin, Usher of the Court of First Instance of Port de Paix, Atila Dorelien and Heribert Lazarre.
January 28, 2012, Pierre Edmond DESERT, employee of the National School Canteen Program (PNCS), was injured with three (3) bullets fired by individuals on a motorcycle. This attack was carried out at the Street Charles Sumer.
January 28, 2012, Wilhelm PHILIPPE, a police officer assigned to the CAT TEAM, was shot dead in the Street Pavee by unidentified gunmen.
January 29, 2012, the detective Yves Menard, allocated to the Deputy Commissioner of Canapé-Vert, was shot and wounded after the bandits opened fire on his vehicle on Route 9.
January 30, 2012, the mutilated body of a young woman was found in Carrefour, in the area of the district Christophe Chanel.
February 8, 2012, Carlo PIERRE, owner of a deposit of soft drinks, located at Avenue Magloire Ambroise, was shot several times. His attackers were gunmen on a motorcycle.
On 11 February 2012, CADET Tanya and her two (2) girls, Sabine CADET, and Judith PHILOGENE, are removed in Jacmel (Breman) and murdered. Their bodies were found in Fauché, in the town of Grand-Goave.
On 14 February 2012, Edmond Pierre was assassinated in Mayard, a town of Jacmel, by gunmen.
February 15, 2012, Patrick CELESTIN, forty-one (41), police officer, assigned to the Intervention Brigade motorized (BIM) was killed during an attack by gunmen traveling in motorcycle. This attack occurred in Delmas 18. During discussions, another policeman named DOMINGO Retz was injured.
February 23, 2012, Angelo PIERRE-LOUIS, a police officer, was killed by gunmen while he was in Martissant. He was assigned to the SWAT TEAM.
On the night of 23 to 24 February 2012, a minor of twelve (12) years is abducted home by gunmen wearing the uniforms of the National Police.
February 24, 2012, an individual named Junior GASSANT, aka Jiji, was killed at the corner of Street St-Nicolas and Avenue Magloire Ambroise.
February 24, 2012, the driver of a public bus is shot down. A passenger boarded the vehicle is seriously injured during a robbery perpetrated by armed individuals. This incident took place in the Street St-Honore.
February 29, 2012, two (2) unidentified persons were shot dead. The same day, a young man is found dead in Leogane Portal.
On 3 March 2012, at Centre Street, Mario Labadie, JP at Croix-des-Bouquets, age forty (40), is shot and killed.
March 5, 2012, Jean-Liphète NELSON, aged thirty-eight (38) years, director of Radio Boukman, a community radio station in Cite Soleil on the frequency 95.9 FM, is shot dead. His companion was also killed.
March 5, 2012, early in the morning, Mr. Jeanty R. DURAND, a lawyer practicing in Port-au-Prince, was shot and killed on the same court of his residence, by gunmen.
March 6, 2012, JOSEPH Venel, former governor of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), is murdered.
March 6, 2012, Wilner CAZEAU is shot and killed at Christopher Avenue.
March 9, 2012, Jean-Baptiste Jean-Philippe, aka Samba Boukman, was riddled with bullets in Delmas 95 in front of the school of his daughter. Samba Boukman is known to have been in 2004 the spokesman for the Operation Baghdad.
On 12 March 2012, a driver making Port-au-Prince / Port de Paix is murdered in the Port de Paix bus station in an armed attack.
On 12 March 2012, unidentified gunmen, traveling on three (3) motorcycles, opened fire against a stationary patrol police based in La Saline. The officer Serge CASEUS died of his injuries on way to hospital.
March 12, 2012, Justin ST VILIEN, a trader working in Gonaives, is shot and killed by gunmen.
Fire
Two (2) public markets, namely the market Carton and the market of Tabarre, were completely burned. A fire ignited in Hyppolite market could be controlled before the complete consumption. In addition, other fires broke out around the country. Here are some examples:
On 8 February 2012, a fire ravaged the camp Argentina, located in the rue Saint-Martin. Kimderline DAMUSTE, a daughter of two (2) years, was burned. In addition, three hundred (300) shelters were completely destroyed.
On 24 February 2012, unidentified gunmen torched the public market of Tabarre.
On 26 February 2012, unidentified individuals set fire to an old house at the corner of the impasse of Lamartiniere and Lavaud. One person was killed. Another is out injured.
On 11 March 2012, a fire destroyed part of the accommodation camp located on the school playground Toussaint Louverture. Nineteen (19) of thirty (30) tents in the camp were burned. Three (3) persons, including one (1) child, were killed.
On 13 March 2012, five (5) members of one family were murdered before being burnt in the fire that was put to the cottage located at Avenue N where they were.
Meanwhile, the RNDDH draw the attention of authorities on the existence of several heavily armed groups, including individuals claiming to be demobilized military. Most of them have problems with the judicial authorities, others are prison escapees. They are listed in Terre-Rouge, Croix-des-Bouquets, Camp Coral, in Maïssade and Lamentin (Carrefour). They train regularly. In some parts of the country, they even establish fixed patrols, thus imposing their presence to the population.
RNDDH believes that these armed groups pose a serious and genuine threat to national security. Indeed, in many places, many of them committed with national police officers a struggle for supremacy with hostility.
RNDDH condemns with the utmost vehemence the laxity of state authorities against the relentless degradation of the country’s security situation.
RNDDH considers that the issue of security is an important matter which should be handled seriously, with all due respect to citizens. In no case can it be converted to a personal matter, provided by the citizens themselves, as they are not owners or firearms or blunt weapons.
After all those considerations and facts, RNDDH directed the authorities concerned to:
– Immediately take all necessary measures to restore a situation livable in the country, particularly in Port-au-Prince and its surroundings;
– Strengthen the fixed and mobile patrols in Port-au-Prince and its neighborhoods;
– Control stations motorcycles, particularly those located near the commercial banks;
– Bring the country’s commercial banks to encourage citizens to use banking services such as credit cards, debit cards, checks, bank transfers, instead of cash;
– Arrest and prosecute every individual involved in the commission of those acts.
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let the (duvalierist) martelly and the Aristides fight and kill each other. this is the best news that is now coming out of Haiti.if we are lucky both sides will be crippled.