Chen grangou pa kouche

March 22, 2025 - April 5, 2025

Apr 08, 2025

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Chen grangou pa kouche
A hungry dog does not rest
(Haitian proverb)

Kathia St. Hilaire, SAINTILUS BOIS CAÏMAN, 2025. Oil-based relief on canvas collage with steel, skin lighting packaging, and paper.

CHAY LA | Main Story

lereliefhaiti

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On the heels of a meeting with Marco Rubio in Jamaica last week, CPT President Fritz Alphonse Jean delivered a speech marking the first-year anniversary of the signing of the April 3rd political agreement, the basis for this transitional government. The sober address recognized the Haitian people's suffering and the CPT's responsibility to provide security. A promise that the CPT has failed to do nearly a year after coming to power. In this speech, Jean also called for the people to join forces with the police in the struggle to fend off the gangs, who are tied to international criminal networks. But this raises questions on how useful the Haitian National Police (PNH) is to counter and dominate the gangs. Analysts have identified ineffective coordination, fractures within the police leadership, lack of proper arms and equipment, and poor intelligence as the obstacles to proper police response.

Various neighborhoods, such as Fò Jak, Solino, Gantye, and Kanape Vè, have fought against the gangs for months. These neighborhoods have formed auto defense groups that collaborate with individual police officers. But when local authorities like those in Kenskòf and Mibalè alert the police to intervene before a gang attack, no help arrives.

In Kenskòf, police arrived once the massacre was over despite the warnings of Kenskòf’s mayor’s office, and in Mibalè Centre a la Une, reports that the police didn't receive orders to confront Viv Ansanm until 3 days after a major attack. The PNH have not regained control over any of the territories that the gangs have taken over. Just this week, Sodo, home to one of Haiti’s most sacred waterfalls, has fallen under the control of the gangs, and the police are still fighting to regain control of Mibalè. Thousands of people have fled, and the main hospital in Mibalè has been evacuated.

We also know that many police officers take advantage of the insecurity crisis to make money. There are many ways they do this. This includes transporting people in armored vehicles and providing security escorts for truckloads and containers of goods while leaving communities under attack to fend for themselves. We can recall the killing of Lincoln Bien Aime, a police officer whose family claims he was killed because he stood against the practice of charging civilians for rides in armored vehicles.

When the PNH does intervene, it poses a considerable threat to ordinary Haitians. They use disproportionate violence during protests, using tear gas and shooting into the crowd. Just last month, three people protesting against gang violence and calling for the government to take action were injured, and one person was killed.

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Police operations against armed groups also pose a serious threat to the civilian population.

According to the latest Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,

" […] in 2024, the number of persons killed and injured during these police operations has risen. During the reporting period, at least 2,012 people were killed or injured during these operations, an increase of 60 percent compared to the previous one (from 29 February to 1 July 2024, when 1,253 casualties were documented). While the majority of the victims (73 percent) were reportedly affiliated with gangs and sustained injuries or death during exchanges of fire with the police, others (27 percent) were hit when they were not involved in acts of violence, often struck by stray bullets while in the streets or at home."

PNH's inability to deliver results on the ground is coupled with a dysfunctional justice system that further fuels impunity. So where can Haitians turn to for protection and justice?

Woukoukou Mario Joseph

Mario Joseph, a renowned Haitian human rights attorney, tragically died in a car accident at the age of 62. Serving as the the lead attorney at the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux in Haiti, Joseph worked on several landmark cases throughout his career, namely, the prosecution of the Raboteau massacre in 2000, where dozens of people were killed following a demonstration in support of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in April 1994, by soldiers and paramilitary forces who raided the neighborhood.

The case tried 59 people in absentia, including former coup leader Lt. Gen. Raoul Cédras. Cédras was responsible for the 1991 coup that toppled Aristide and was one of the 16 people found guilty of their role in the massacre. This landmark case also awarded victims $140 million. However, the ruling was later overturned by the Haitian Supreme Court in a decision deemed politically motivated by Amnesty International.

A champion for the protection of human rights in Haiti, Joseph’s law firm also took on the United Nations in several cases including the 2010 cholera outbreak (which killed nearly 10,000 people and infected over 800,000 others), as well as child support cases levied against the United Nations and their forces on behalf of women who had children fathered by the U.N peacekeepers.

“Mario Joseph’s contribution to the fight for democracy, justice and human rights in Haiti is legendary. Every day he fought for the Haitian people and endangered his life as a courageous lawyer fighting for their right to live in a democratic country,” said Ira Kurzban, a prominent U.S. immigration attorney who lives in Miami. (Source: Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti)

Joseph also represented dozens of political prisoners and other victims of the numerous massacres that have been taking place in Haiti over the last few decades. He will be remembered as a brave and fierce defender of the marginalized classes and an advocate dedicated to combating political violence, sexual abuse, and international negligence.

MIGRASYON/MIGRATION

Tèt chaje

The Trump administration’s announcements concerning TPS and the humanitarian parole program (known to Haitians as “Biden”) have left Haitian communities in the United States on an emotional roller coaster. Indiana Haitian community leaders describe the stress the community is feeling as the governor of Indiana has promised to cooperate with federal immigration with the help of local law enforcement.

Leonce Jean-Baptiste, executive director of the Haitian Association of Indiana, recently spoke with Mirror Indy about the stress and anxiety being felt by Haitians in Indianapolis, many of whom came to the U.S. through immigration policies enacted by former President Joe Biden.
“There are Haitian restaurants, there are Haitians churches, and it’s a vibrant community,” Baptiste said. “The ripple effects of those measures, obviously, are being felt throughout all those different activities and programs and places of worship.” (Source: Mirror Indy)

Haitians have begun to leave the United States to escape the precarity of the moment, and immigration advocates and organizations are fighting these federal policies. On March 31, the attempt to take away Temporary Protected Status from Venezuelans was blocked by a federal judge, who stated that this would cause “irreparable harm” to countless Venezuelans. In a 78-page ruling, Judge Chen went on to agree that the motivation behind the stripping away of TPS for Venezuelans was unconstitutional.

“The court’s ruling affirms that Secretary Noem breached the boundaries of DHS authority,” said Emi MacLean, an attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California. “Judge Chen’s decision today recognizes the critical role of TPS, protecting people who cannot safely return to their home countries. This humanitarian protection cannot be stripped away from hundreds of thousands of people for illegitimate pretextual reasons.”
“This is a win for the rule of law,” said Erik Crew of Haitian Bridge Alliance. “It’s a win for Venezuelan TPS holders, for Haitian TPS holders, and for all people who want to be able to rely on the promises the U.S. makes.” (Source: ACLU)

ON THIS DAY

March 29, 1987

On March 29, 1987, Haitians voted in favor of a new constitution in the first elections following the Duvalier regime. The referendum established the Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) to oversee the electoral process by creating and enforcing the laws governing elections and vetting the electoral candidates. Many regarded this referendum as ushering in a new era and marking the end of dictatorship. You can listen to a broadcast of Jean Dominique covering the referendum from the Radio Haiti archives here.

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