Coalition of Organizations Call on Haiti to Prosecute Jean-Claude Duvalier
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 11:07AMJanuary 20, 2011
As organizations concerned with human rights in Haiti, we call on the Government of Haiti to immediately take steps to investigate and prosecute Jean-Claude Duvalier for human rights violations committed during his 1971-86 rule of Haiti. Scores of human rights investigations, legal cases, victim testimonies, and in-depth reports provide ample evidence to commence formal proceedings against Jean-Claude Duvalier. While the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute Duvalier rests squarely with the Government of Haiti, we call on the international community to provide all needed assistance to enable Haiti to fully and promptly investigate and prosecute him. Given the fragile state of Haiti’s infrastructure following the January 12, 2010 earthquake and the current cholera and electoral crises, significant international assistance may be needed.
During Jean-Claude Duvalier’s regime, systematic killings, “disappearances,” torture, and other ill-treatment were widespread. These crimes were often carried out by the infamous paramilitary force known as the Tontons Macoutes (or officially as the Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale), as well as special units of the armed forces of Haiti and local authorities empowered with brutal force. The crimes left many thousands dead, wounded, or in exile and amounted to crimes against humanity. Under international law, Haiti is obligated to investigate and prosecute such acts, which are not subject to otherwise relevant statutes of limitation.
Jean-Claude Duvalier’s arrival in Port-au-Prince on January 16 provides the Government of Haiti an unprecedented opportunity to right the wrongs of the past through the rule of law. By thoroughly investigating and effectively prosecuting these crimes, the Government of Haiti would finally end the impunity that Duvalier has enjoyed since he fled into exile in France in 1986. It would also provide well-deserved hope to those who have waited decades for their persecutors to be brought to justice. And–at a crucial moment in the country’s political process—it will demonstrate that while the constitution may be paper, it can be mightier than the bayonet.
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20 Janvye 2011
Antan ke òganizasyon ki konsène ak dwa moun an Ayiti, nou mande Gouvènman Ayiti-a pou li pran imedyatman tout mezi pou fè ankèt ak pouswiv Jean-Claude Duvalier pou vyolasyon dwa moun pandan ane li te fè sou pouvwa-a de 1971 a 1986. Nòt nan ankèt dwa moun, afè jiridik, temwayaj viktim, ak rapò detaye bay ase prèv pou kòmanse pwosedi fòmèl kont Jean-Claude Duvalier. Pandan ke responsabilite prensipal pouf è ankèt ak pouswi Duvalier chita franchman sou do Gouvènman Ayiti-a, nou mande kominote entènasyonal la pou bay tout èd ki nesesè pou Ayiti kapab fè ankèt ak pouswiv li tout bon, epi prese. Daprè jan eta efrastrikti Ayiti frajil aprè tranblemendetè 12 janvye 2010 la, ak kriz ki gen kounye-a akòz kolera ak eleksyon-an, yo ka bezwen anpil èd kote kominote entènasyonal la.
Sou pouvwa Jean-Claude Duvalier, asasinay, “disparisyon”, tòti, ak lòt move tretman te konn fèt toupatou. Apil fwa krim sa yo se fòs paramilitè ke yo konnen sou non Tonton Makout (oswa ofisyèlman sou non Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale) kit e konn fè yo, ansanm ak tout inite spesyal fòs lame Dayiti ansanm ak otorite local yo kit e genyen yon fò brital. Krim sa yo fè plis pase mil moun mouri, blese, oswa an ekzil, ak lòt krim kont limanite. Daprè dwa entènasyonal la, Ayiti oblije fè envestigasyon ak pouswiv jan de zak sa yo, ki pa ale anba lwa sou limitasyon yo.
Jean-Claude Duvalier ki vini nan Pòtoprens nan dat 18 janvye-a bay Gouvènman Ayiti-a yon gwo opòtinite pou ranje tout sa ki te fèt mal nan lepase daprè lalwa. Lè fè yon bon envestigasyon ak ale devan lajistis pou krim sa yo, Gouvènman Ayiti-a tap fini ak zafè enpinite ke Duvalier tap jwi depi lè li te ale nan egzil an Frans an 1986. An mèm tan sa t’ap bay lespwa bay tout sa ki t’ap tann depi lontan ke moun ki t’ap pèsekite yo-a pase devan lajistis. Epi – nan yon moman enpòtan nan pwosesis politik peyi-a – l’ap montre ke menm si konstitisyon-an se papye, li gen plis pouvwa pase bayonet.
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Joint Action/Statement on prosecuting Jean-Claude Duvalier
Signatories’ List
Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU School of Law
Meg Satterthwaite
Partners in Health
Dr. Paul Farmer
Center for Constitutional Rights
Bill Quigley
Allan K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic, Yale Law School
James Silk
Human Rights Clinic University of Miami School of Law
Caroline Bettinger-López
Asociación Nacional de Centros (ANC)
Francisco Soberón Garrido
International Human Rights Law Clinic and Human Rights Program, University of Virginia School of Law
Deena R. Hurwitz
Human Rights Litigation and International Advocacy Clinic, University of Minnesota Law School
Jennifer M. Green
International Action Ties
Mark Snyder
Friends of the Earth – Amigos de la Tierra
Gustavo Castro Soto
Comisión de Derechos Humanos (COMISEDH)
Miguel Huerta Barrón
Immigration Clinic, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada
Fatma E. Marouf
Leitner Center for International Law and Justice, Fordham Las School
Martin S. Flaherty
Other Worlds
Beverly Bell
Lamp for Haiti Foundation
Thomas M. Griffin
Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights, University of Cincinnati College of Law
Bert Lockwood
Refugio del Rio Grande, Inc.
Lisa S. Brodyaga
Immigrant Rights Project, University of Tulsa College of Law
Elizabeth McCormick
Immigration Law Clinic, University of California Davis School of Law
Holly Cooper
Red Mexicana de Acción frente al Libre Comercio (RMALC)
Marco Antonio Velázquez Navarrete
Alianza Mexicana por la Autodeterminación de los Pueblos (AMAP)
Marco Antonio Velázquez Navarrete
Center for Justice& Accountability
Kathy Roberts
UnityAyiti
Brennan Bollman
Canada Haiti Action Network/Reseau de solidarite Canada-Haiti
Roger Annis
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, University of California Hastings College of the Law
Karen Musalo
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
Brian Concannon
Haitian National Coalition for the Environment (KNAA)
Isaac Cherestal
Haiti Dream Keeper Archives
Michelle Karshan
Center for Social Justice, Seton Hall University School of Law
Lori A. Nessel
Beyond Borders
David Diggs
Bri Kouri Nouvèl Gaye
Etant Dupain
Let Haiti Live
Melinda Miles
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Haiti
Alexis Erkert Depp
Physicians for Haiti
Rishi Rattan
International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
Jeanne Mirer
MADRE
Diana Duarte
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE)
Robin Alexander
Instituto Peruano de Educacion en Derechos Humas y la Paz (IPDEDEHP)
Pablo Zavala
St. Boniface Haiti Foundation
Linda Canniff
Montreal-Haiti Solidarity Committee
Darren Ell
School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch)
Nico Udu-Gama
UCF Haitian Sutdies Project
Kevin Meehan
All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC)
Bob Brown
Paloma Institute
Guy R. Knudsen
Global Exchange
Tom Miller
Green Cities Fund, Inc.
Tom Miller
Institute of Redress & Recovery at Santa Clara University
Beth Van Schaack
Alliance for Global Justice
Chuck Kaufman
Central American Legal Assistance
Anne Pilsbury
Nicaragua Center for Community Action (NICCA)
Diana Bohn
St Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America
Marilyn Lorenz
The National Lawyers Guild Internaitonal committee
Charlotte Kates
Konpay
Amy Fotta
National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association
Rudy Arredondo
Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America and the Caribbean (KITLAC)
Stephen Bartlett
Essex Transitional Justice Network, University of Essex
Diana Morales-Lourido
National Lawyers Guild Task Force on the Americas
Judy Somberg
American Association of Jurists (AAJ)
Vanessa Ramos
Reader Comments (2)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brennan Bollman, melindayiti. melindayiti said: Coalition of Organizations Call on #Haiti to Prosecute Jean-Claude Duvalier: http://t.co/IynGYmJ [...]
Please consider the Haiti Justice Alliance as the 51st organization to embrace the call for Haiti to prosecute Jean Claude Duvalier.
Paul W. Miller, Director of the Haiti Justice Alliance