AHP News August 11, 2005

English translation (Unofficial)

10 new persons lynched including one who was burned alive in the populist district of Bel-air: the authors of these acts express their satisfaction

Port-au-Prince , August 11, 2005 (AHP)- Individuals congratulated themselves Thursday for the murder the day before in the populist district of Bel-Air of at least 10 people accused of being bandits and kidnappers.

At least one of the persons murdered, a man named Shaba, was burned alive.

The authors of these executions declared on the air of radio stations of the capital that they had the police’s support in their actions against those they called bandits and who gave them a hard time. Bel-air and shantytown Cité Soleil are known to be neighbourhoods where kidnappers usually take their hostages.

Police officials themselves had declared Wednesday that residents of the populist district of Solino had been lynched by other individuals. At least forty people who were shot have been registered at the morgue of the University of Haiti Hospital.

Several sectors also denounced the distribution of machetes in populist districts such as Bel-air and Solino to get residents to tear each other to pieces.

Director of the Ecumenical Center of Human Rights Jean-Claude Bajeux denounces this new form of summary justice, accusing a certain sector of taking advantage of the time of confusion to force residents to make their own justice. Authorities must assume their responsibilities in the fight against insecurity even though the population must be able to protect itself, Bajeux declared. He said he believes that this practice can go very far.

Before this new form of violence- lynching- policemen were accused of perpetrating summary executions in populist districts and of repression of peaceful demonstrations. Several residents of Bel-air called the MINUSTAH to intervene in order to avoid more lynching. Wanting to re-establish peace in order to hold elections cannot justify in any case summary executions, the residents denounced.

About the cases of lynching registered Wednesday in Bel-Air, the spokesperson of Lavalas activists, Sanba Boukman rejected the “maneuvers” aiming to make people believe that residents of Bel-air would be involved in these crimes. Those acts are committed by people brought by the police, he declared, adding that at least a dozen persons were lynched only Wednesday