Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti

Building stability and prosperity in Haiti through justice                                                                                 July 2018 IJDH and BAI Focus Discussion of Haiti Fuel Increase Protests on Root Causes IJDH and BAI influenced the discussion of Haiti’s July 6 civil unrest, in both Haiti and the U.S., to focus on the misery and corruption that left Haitians feeling that provocative demonstrations were the only way they could make their voices heard. BAI’s Managing Director Mario Joseph, in a press release, decried the Haitian government’s willingness to execute the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) unpopular and disastrous economic policy while ignoring the pain and the suffering that the policy will inflict […]

  VIEW PDF VERSION Contacts: Jennifer Robinson, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers, j.robinson@doughtystreet.co.uk, +442074041313 (London, UK) Nicole Phillips, Staff Attorney, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, nicole@ijdh.org, +509-4645-2888 (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) Kathleen Bergin, Director, Disaster Law Project, kathleen.bergin@gmail.com, +1 857-222-6176 (Ithaca, USA) Sienna Merope-Synge, Staff Attorney, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, sienna@ijdh.org, +1917-864-6901 (New York) For Immediate Release: UK Parliament Inquiry Report on Sexual Abuse in the Aid Sector Recommends Solutions which Fail to Meet the Problems Human Rights Lawyers say sector-wide sexual misconduct and accountability failures in humanitarian sector require stronger response.                                                                                                                                   1 August 2018 A coalition of lawyers from the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), the Disaster Law Project (DLP) and Doughty Street Chambers commends the report of the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee (IDC) inquiry on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) […]

View in ENG. Kolektif Viktim Pèleren 5 yo  ap  kontinye denonse ak tout fòs yo zak kraze brize fòs represif  administrasyon Moise-Lafontant an fè kont nou menm, malere ak malerèz, nan pèleren 5,  soti lendi 2 jiyè pou bout mèkredi 4 jiyè 2018 la , an prezans komisè gouvèlman an, mouche Ocnam Clamé Daméus,  sekretè deta sekirite piblik la, mouche Ronsard Saint-Cyr ak pwopriyetè kay mesye Jovenel Moise rete a, mouche Yves Leonard. N ap raple pou laprès, lendi 2 jiyè ki sot pase a, ajan meri komin taba majistra Nice Simon, ki se mandan Yves Leonard, ap dirije a debake nan komin petyonvil pou make sou yon bann kay prive: “DGI à démolir”. Tousuit aprè, nan  madi 3 jiyè ozanviwon 4 trè nan laprè midi,  komisè Ocname Clamé Daméus ak  sekretè deta sekirite piblik la, mouche Ronsard Saint-Cyr anvayi […]

Une traduction en Français de l’article par Jacqueline Charles dans le Miami Herald le 16 juillet 2018. “Haiti fuel price jump was ‘guaranteed to lead to backlash,’ U.N. poverty expert says” Pour une version en PDF, cliquez ici La hausse du prix des combustibles en Haïti était ‘certaine d’entraîner des répercussions négatives’, a dit l’Expert de l’ONU. L’expert des Nations Unies sur la question de la pauvreté a critiqué le Fonds monétaire international pour la pression exercée afin de forcer Haïti à supprimer les subventions sur les combustibles ce lundi, et a indiqué que des bailleurs de fonds comme la Banque mondiale et la Banque interaméricaine de développement devraient aider les Haïtiens pauvres en augmentant l’aide au pays. «Le Fonds a toujours sous-estimé l’importance de calibrer ses recommandations aux spécificités du contexte politique, sans tenir compte de la mesure dans […]

                             Building stability and prosperity in Haiti through justice     Dear IJDH/BAI Community: As you know, this month Haiti is experiencing a wave of protests, some of them violent, and disruption of government (including the Prime Minister’s resignation) and daily life. We are relieved to report that the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) team in Haiti is safe, although some members spent a night in the office when they could not go home safely. The protests were sparked by the announcement of crippling fuel price increases required by an International Monetary Fund bailout agreement. But the unrest has deep roots in Haiti’s history of poverty, corruption and foreign manipulation, and more recent roots in the flawed elections of 2015-2016 and the ostentatious corruption of the current government. BAI responded […]

Download Press Release in English BUREAU DES AVOCATS INTERNATIONAUX 3, 2ème rue Lavaud B.P 19048 Port-au-Prince, Haïti Tel : +5092943-2106/07 Email : avokahaiti@aol.com                                           Pòtoprens, Jedi 12 jiyè 2018 Pozisyon Biwo Avoka Entènasyonal yo (BAI) sou konjonkti sosyo-politik peyi a Nòt nimewo 1 pou laprès Biwo Avoka Entènasyonal yo (BAI), nan kad misyon l pou defann moun anba yo, espesyalman Viktim Kolera Sòlda Misyon Nasyonzini pou estabilizasyon an Ayiti  (MINISTA) yo, fanm ak tifi ki viktim vyòl (kadejak) ak tizonnay seksyèl ak viktim zak represyon nan egzèsis libète piblik yo, ap  suiv avèk anpil atansyon evolisyon kriz sosyo-ekonomik peyi a ki debouche sou soulèvman jeneral mas popilè yo kont rejim ekstrèm dwat tèt kale a, soti vandredi sis (6) pou rive  lendi nèf (9) jiyè 2018 la. E k […]

Brian Concannon, The Miami Herald July 17, 2018 Saturday’s resignation of Haiti’s Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, along with the suspension of controversial fuel price rises, will bring temporary respite from the latest social unrest in the country. But they will not resolve the problem underlying the protests — the Haitian people’s inability to demand better governance and basic services from its leaders. In a 1962 speech to the Organization of American States, President Kennedy urged the United States and “those who possess wealth and power” in the hemisphere’s less wealthy nations to enact reforms to allow the people of the Americas “to hope for a suitable standard of living.” Kennedy famously warned that. “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” We did not need last week’s images of angry protests and burning cars to know that, […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Ashley Armand, Communications Coordinator, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, media@ijdh.org, 617 419-5545 (English, Haitian Creole) Over 60 Human Rights Organizations Demand UN Stop Its Retreat from Accountability (Boston, USA, July 16, 2018) – Sixty human rights organizations from Haiti and around the world urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to act decisively to protect victims’ right to an effective remedy for their injuries, and keep the promises of its December 2016 “New Approach to Cholera.” The groups note they “are increasingly concerned that the UN is once again retreating from accountability” 18 months after the New Approach announcement. The letter was signed by leading international human rights groups including Amnesty International and the International Service for Human Rights, prominent Haitian human rights groups and national human rights organizations from the Philippines to Uruguay. The organizations […]

“…The past hangs over everything the new Haitian army is trying to do, and for good reason. The last time Haiti had an army, it participated in a series of brutal crackdowns and coups against the country’s democratically elected president.“   Narrator Late last year, Haitian president Jovenel Moïse announced that his country, the poorest in the Caribbean, would build a brand-new army. President Jovenel Moïse [translated from Haitian Creole] We’ll insist, so that all the Haitian people and the whole world can hear, the Haitian Army is not involved in politics and won’t be involved in politics. Narrator That plan isn’t just an expensive one. It’s a total about-face from the decision more than twenty years ago to get rid of Haiti’s military entirely. (00:41) You’re looking at pretty much all that exists of the new Haitian Army. Capt. […]

To read PDF versions click here: ENG FR July 16, 2018 Dear Mr. Secretary-General: We write to you as organizations that share the UN’s goal of promoting human rights to express our concern regarding the situation of cholera victims in Haiti, and their right to access effective remedies. For six years, the UN denied legal responsibility for sparking the Haiti cholera epidemic, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence that UN peacekeepers had introduced the disease. This denial was rightly met with global outcry; the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty & Human Rights labelled it “morally unconscionable, legally indefensible, and politically self-defeating.” The refusal to accept accountability in Haiti hurt both the victims and the UN’s credibility and standing worldwide. As organizations committed to the protection of universal rights, including the fundamental right to a remedy, we were pleased […]

Oral statement delivered by Micòl Savia, IADL permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, during the Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Haiti – 38th session of the Human Rights Council 3 July 2018 The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) expresses its deep concern that the UN’s “New Approach” to cholera in Haiti is at great risk of failure due to the organization’s refusal to keep its promise of meaningful consultations with victims, and its apparent unilateral decision to take individual compensation off the table. For six years following the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti, the UN denied responsibility, despite overwhelming scientific evidence—including from the UN’s own experts– that reckless sanitation at a UN Peacekeeper base brought the disease to Haiti. Four UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders took the unprecedented […]

Building stability and prosperity in Haiti through justice June 2018 Dear Friend,  U.S. Lawmakers Demand UN Keep Promises to Haiti’s Cholera Victims The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) worked with Rep. Maxine Waters on a bi-partisan letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres signed by over 100 of her colleagues, urging the UN to keep its promises to consult with cholera victims, especially regarding compensation. The Representatives warned “[w]e are concerned that the UN’s 2016 plan – the ‘New Approach to Cholera in Haiti’– to eliminate cholera and provide redress for victims is not meeting victims’ rights and needs, despite the UN’s promises to place victims ‘at the center’ of its work.” A Miami Herald article about the letter cited the IJDH and Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) work on the cholera case. IJDH and BAI sent their own letter about keeping promises to UN Deputy […]

This article was originally published in Le Nouvelliste on June 25, 2018  Thanks to the pleas of human rights defense organizations combined with the population’s outrage against the increase of rapes in displacement camps after the earthquake on January 12, 2010, we have seen some progress in taking care of victims. Since then, committees have been created to be in charge of those convicted of rape, exemplary verdicts against those guilty of rape have been pronounced, victims are better informed of their rights. These signs show that some progress has been made in the fight against rape, even if, in certain parts of the country, the violation of victims’ rights is systematically caused by numerous factors: corruption in the heart of the judicial system, the failure or absence of state institutions, and the victims’ ignorance of their own rights.  Following a […]

English Translation Here Par Jean Pharès Jérôme– cet article a été publié  le quotidien Le Nouvelliste Grâce au plaidoyer des organisations de défense des droits humains combiné aux cris d’alarme de la population contre la multiplication des cas de viol dans les camps de déplacés après le séisme du 12 janvier 2010, on observe de timides progrès dans la prise en charge des victimes. Depuis, des cellules de prise en charge du viol ont été créées ; des verdicts exemplaires contre des coupables de viol ont été prononcés; des victimes sont mieux informées de leurs droits. Des signes qui prouvent quelques progrès dans la lutte contre le viol même si, dans certaines régions du pays, la violation des droits des victimes est systématique à cause de nombreux facteurs, dont la corruption au sein du système judiciaire, la défaillance ou l’absence […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2018 Contact: Twaun Samuel/Rykia Dorsey Phone: 202-225-2201 Waters & 100 Members of Congress Urge United Nations to Fulfill its Obligation to Support Victims of the Cholera Epidemic in Haiti WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and a strong advocate for Haiti in the U.S. Congress, led a total of 101 Members of Congress in a bipartisan letter to the Honorable António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), urging him to ensure that the UN meets its obligations and effectively repairs the harms caused by the cholera epidemic in Haiti. “We write as friends of Haiti in the United States Congress to urge you to ensure that the United Nations complies with its legal and moral obligations to provide appropriate remedies to victims of Haiti’s devastating cholera […]

The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) is seeking 1-2 legal interns (for a minimum of 10 hours per week) to work on advocacy to secure a just UN response to the cholera epidemic in Haiti. At the end of 2016, after years of litigation and advocacy by IJDH and its Haiti-based sister organization, the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the UN issued an unprecedented public apology for the organization’s role in causing the worst cholera epidemic in the world in Haiti, and announced the launch of a new $400 million plan to improve cholera elimination efforts and provide material assistance to victims. IJDH is seeking legal interns to contribute to our ongoing cholera accountability work to ensure that the UN plan is fully funded and implemented in a manner that responds to the organization’s legal obligations and […]

IJDH Communications and Development Internship Fall 2018 About Us IJDH has successfully helped Haitians enforce their human rights since 2004. The Institute partners with BAI to support grassroots struggles for justice in Haiti and in the powerful countries abroad where decisions about Haitians’ rights are often made. IJDH and BAI combine traditional legal strategies with organizing, emerging technology, and public advocacy to address the root causes of instability and poverty in Haiti. We fight for justice with legal work, but also with creativity, humility, inspiration and humor, and supportive work culture. We effect broad changes with modest resources by nurturing large advocacy networks. IJDH is looking for Communications and Development interns to join its Boston office. The position is ideal for an undergraduate or graduate student interested in global human rights advocacy and development and financial strategies for small nonprofits. […]

Dear Friend, While the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) is US-based human rights organization, some of our supporters and subscribers are residing in European Union (EU) countries. Therefore, in accordance with the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we have updated our privacy policy, which details how we use and store your name, email address and any other information you supply to us. Let us be as clear as we can, IJDH does not share your information with anyone other than specific third party service providers such as Salsa and Google Analytics. We do not share your information with advertisers. If you no longer wish to be on this mailing list, please click unsubscribe below. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at info@ijdh.org. Thank you, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti […]

Building stability and prosperity in Haiti through justice The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) launched Haiti’s first legal observation program to observe demonstrations on May 1 st known as Obsèvatwa Libète Piblik. The program was developed in partnership with the U.S. National Lawyers Guild, deploys trained lawyers and observers to monitor and report on violations of protestors’ constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly.The BAI launched the program in response to rising reports of illegal activity by police at protests, including illegal arrests of demonstrators and violence. “Public freedoms such as expression and assembly are the base of democracy. The police routinely use unjustified force against peaceful protestors to quell Haitians’ voices,” said Mario Joseph, BAI’s Managing Attorney.The Bureau expects more protests in the coming weeks due to announced price increases for gasoline and electricity. The legal observation program, combined with BAI’s legal […]

Cholera broke out in Haiti in October 2010 for the first time in the country’s history. Multiple genetic and epidemiological studies have established that cholera was introduced to Haiti by a peacekeeping contingent with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), which discharged cholera-contaminated sewage into a tributary of Haiti’s largest river system. The UN for years denied its role in the cholera epidemic. this is here BAI and IJDH represent Haitian victims of cholera in their quest for justice from the UN In November 2011, we filed 5,000 claims with the UN, seeking: A) The installation of a national water and sanitation system that will control the epidemic, B) Compensation for individual victims of cholera for their losses, C) A public apology from the United Nations for its wrongful acts In February 2013, after 15 months of silence, the […]