Politics & Democracy

PDF Version in English. Human Rights and Rule of Law in Haiti: November 2020 through May 2021 Introduction The seven month period following IJDH’s October 2020 Human Rights and Rule of Law in Haiti update[i] has been marked by increasing authoritarian actions by the government that have furthered concerns for the rule of law,[ii] including an unconstitutional exercise to change the constitution through referendum.[iii] A remarkable number of people in Haiti, including civil society groups,[iv] have courageously demonstrated against the continuation of the democratic crisis and have demanded respect for the rule of law.[v] Many of these widespread demonstrations have been suppressed by the police through violent means[vi] while catastrophic insecurity, primarily comprised of attacks against civilians by armed actors and kidnappings, continues.[vii] Threats to judicial independence[viii] and impunity for these and other human rights violations[ix] additionally contribute to a deteriorating […]

PDF Version in English and French. Human Rights and Rule of Law in Haiti: March to October 2020 Introduction Widespread insecurity has gripped Haiti[i] since our February 2020 Human Rights and Rule of Law in Haiti update.[ii] Local human rights organizations investigating the rise in violence have documented the involvement of police officers and state officials in numerous attacks against marginalized communities and raised credible concerns that gang violence is being deployed as a tool of political repression.[iii] At minimum, the government has failed to control violence that affects some of Haiti’s most marginalized communities.[iv] In addition, there are numerous reported incidents of government violence against protesters and the press;[v] impunity for these and other human rights violations, due at least in part to the politicization of the judiciary, is pervasive.[vi] Such impunity leaves victims without recourse and is emboldening perpetrators.[vii] […]

Senator Markey and Rep. Wilson Lead Colleagues in Urging U.S. Support for Free and Fair Elections in Haiti PRESS RELEASE: Washington (October 15, 2020) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Representative Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), along with 24 Senate and House colleagues, today wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the State Department to support free and fair elections in Haiti and to stop State Department officials from making public statements that appear to push for elections outside of Haiti’s constitutional process. Haitian President Jovenel Moïse has been ruling by decree since January of this year, when the terms of most members of Parliament expired without passage of an electoral law necessary for holding legislative elections. This summer, the nine members of the provisional electoral council resigned, citing the need for the government to engage in a real […]

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Building stability and prosperity in Haiti through justice Haitian Flag a Symbol of Global Freedom and Democracy May 18 is Flag Day in Haiti, which celebrates 215 years of Haitian leadership in the fight for global freedom and democracy. In fact, Haitians invented the concept of Universal Human Rights: unlike the United States, which proclaimed that “all men are created equal” in 1776 without meaning “all”, and France who asserted “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” for some people in 1789, the Haitians in 1803 extended freedom and rights to everyone. At the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), we are honored to fight alongside our Haitian partners to advance the promise of universal rights in Haiti and abroad. Together with our Haitian partner, the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), IJDH continues to insist that everyone is obligated to respect Haitians’ rights, including the […]

May 18 is Flag Day in Haiti, which celebrates 215 years of Haitian leadership in the fight for global freedom and democracy. In fact, Haitians invented the concept of Universal Human Rights: unlike the United States, which proclaimed that “all men are created equal” in 1776 without meaning “all”, and France who asserted “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” for some people in 1789, the Haitians in 1803 extended freedom and rights to everyone. At the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), we are honored to fight alongside our Haitian partners to advance the promise of universal rights in Haiti and abroad.Together with our Haitian partner, the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), IJDH continues to insist that everyone is obligated to respect Haitians’ rights, including the United Nations, which must take responsibility for its deadly cholera epidemic that has taken 10,000 Haitian lives, and the United States, which must stop discriminating against Haitians in the U.S. […]