Update on prison incident - May 16, 2006

By Maren Dobberthien – IJDH / Bureau des Avocats Internationaux

Yesterday, Monday, 15 May 2006, relatives of prisoners and members of the Kolektif Fanmi Prizonye held a spontaneous demonstration at the National Penitentiary desperately calling upon the authorities to be informed about their next-of-kin’s well-being and to be granted a visit to assure themselves that they were still alive. At two points, tear gas was shot from a window of the prison to disperse the noisy, but peaceful demonstrators, thus adding to their fear and confusion. Many women as well IJDH’s investigator at the scene were affected by the tear gas.

On Sunday, the day of Preval’s inauguration as Haiti’s new elected President, prison guards – later enforced by members of the national police and Chinese UNPOL agents – had fired shots and salves of teargas to quell a prisoner protest at the overcrowded main prison, where only about 80 out of nearly 2000 prisoners have been brought to trial. On Sunday morning, prisoners could be seen on the roof of the prison holding up blood-stained clothes and the limb bodies of two of their co-inmates. It was not clear whether they were injured or dead.

Yesterday, a sign at the prison wall read that visits by relatives are suspended until further notice. The prison authorities also denied access to the prison to NGO human rights workers, journalists and to the staff of MINUSTAH’s human rights section. Only a delegation of the International Red Cross was let inside the prison. The families and the public were thus left in the dark about what exactly happened at the prison over the last 24 hours. Relatives also complained that they had not been able to send food and clean water to their next-of-kin for two days. Finally, food distribution resumed yesterday at 1 PM, but was interrupted by another incident, where suddenly, everyone was pushed out of the entry hall of the prison after shouting was heard inside.

The prison administration reported yesterday that 11 inmates were injured during the incident, thus denying rumors that several inmates had been killed. According to these official sources, the injuries sustained were not bullet wounds, but mostly injuries from sticks. The authorities also reported that five prison guards had been injured by inmates throwing stones and other objects. On Sunday, several inmates were reportedly taken to the General Hospital for treatment and later returned to the National Penitentiary. More inmates were taken to the hospital on Monday upon intervention by the International Red Cross, but also returned to the prison the same day so that they could not be interviewed. IJDH’s Port-au-Prince based human rights worker got to see an injured inmate at the General Hospital, but it turned out that he had only been arrested recently and had been injured, not while in prison, but during his arrest, so that he cannot be counted among the victims of the May 14 incident, non of whom were hospitalized at the General Hospital.

IJDH’s investigator was again denied access to the prison today and visits by families remain suspended. As long as access is not granted in a transparent manner, rumors will prevail and families will continue to fear for their relatives inside. IJDH urges the authorities to open the prison to independent investigators without further delay as well as to allow visits by family members starting this week.