Parliamentarians denounce sub-human conditions facing detainees
incarcerated in Port-au-Prince¹s prisons
Port-au-Prince, 6 July 2006 (AHP) - The Chamber of Deputies¹
Commission on Public Justice and Security denounced on Thursday the conditions of
those being held in Port-au-Prince¹s National Penitentiary and its annex
located in the Pacot quarter of the city.
Following a visit on Wednesday to the detention centers, the
Vice-President of the Commission, Deputy Emmanuel Fritz Gérald
Bourjolly, judged the conditions facing the prisoners intolerable.
The conditions are sub-human given that most detainees haven¹t appeared
before a judge, must go to the toilet in the same rooms where they eat
and are left for days without being able to wash.
The investigative arms of the courts have waited up to 10 or 11 months just to return an ordinance
contrary to the prescribed law fixing the deadline at 3 months, he
stated.
Mr. Bourjolly called on the judicial authorities to assume their
responsibilities in order to process the files of all detainees while at
the same time suggesting that Haitian authorities build more prisons
throughout the country.
For his part, Deputy Sorel François drew particular attention to the
physical state of the former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune,
incarcerated for more than 24 months by the interim authorities for an alleged massacre
that is said to have taken place at la Scierie in the locality of St-
Marc (27 km north of the capital).
According to Sorel François, Mr. Neptune¹s case is extremely
preoccupying and that as a result there is no more time for delay.
He said that for political abuses political solutions must be found. He
therefore called on President René Préval to make a political
decision to free all political prisoners since it was a matter of citizens who were
arrested simply for being political adversaries [of the previous
government].
The parliamentarian let it be known that steps were being taken to
approach a number of international organizations so that they could
intervene in the cases of certain special prisoners.
incarcerated in Port-au-Prince¹s prisons
Port-au-Prince, 6 July 2006 (AHP) - The Chamber of Deputies¹
Commission on Public Justice and Security denounced on Thursday the conditions of
those being held in Port-au-Prince¹s National Penitentiary and its annex
located in the Pacot quarter of the city.
Following a visit on Wednesday to the detention centers, the
Vice-President of the Commission, Deputy Emmanuel Fritz Gérald
Bourjolly, judged the conditions facing the prisoners intolerable.
The conditions are sub-human given that most detainees haven¹t appeared
before a judge, must go to the toilet in the same rooms where they eat
and are left for days without being able to wash.
The investigative arms of the courts have waited up to 10 or 11 months just to return an ordinance
contrary to the prescribed law fixing the deadline at 3 months, he
stated.
Mr. Bourjolly called on the judicial authorities to assume their
responsibilities in order to process the files of all detainees while at
the same time suggesting that Haitian authorities build more prisons
throughout the country.
For his part, Deputy Sorel François drew particular attention to the
physical state of the former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune,
incarcerated for more than 24 months by the interim authorities for an alleged massacre
that is said to have taken place at la Scierie in the locality of St-
Marc (27 km north of the capital).
According to Sorel François, Mr. Neptune¹s case is extremely
preoccupying and that as a result there is no more time for delay.
He said that for political abuses political solutions must be found. He
therefore called on President René Préval to make a political
decision to free all political prisoners since it was a matter of citizens who were
arrested simply for being political adversaries [of the previous
government].
The parliamentarian let it be known that steps were being taken to
approach a number of international organizations so that they could
intervene in the cases of certain special prisoners.