Amnesty International is seriously concerned that Haiti is descending into a severe humanitarian and human rights crisis. After weeks of insurrection by the armed opposition, President Aristide left Haiti on February 29. Since his departure the situation has remained volatile as spontaneous clashes between Aristide's supporters and members of the armed opposition continue to erupt despite the presence of a multinational force authorized by the U.N. Security Council in Haiti. It is feared that continued violence will result in more deaths and mass exodus of refugees.
Amnesty International is distressed by the number of killings and human rights abuses committed in the context of clashes between police, armed Aristide supporters, and the armed opposition. Fears remain that unlawful killings and lootings may wreak further havoc on the country if the rebels and Aristide supporters fail to disarm.
Amnesty International is alarmed by the humanitarian consequences of the violence in Haiti. Traffic through Haiti's main ports has been severely disrupted, blocking imports of food and water on which civilians rely, with petrol and other supplies running low. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Haiti's political gridlock threatens to sweep the country into an appalling humanitarian crisis.
As the situation remains volatile, Haitians are likely to continue to seek asylum outside the country. Authorities of the neighboring Dominican Republic have announced that their border-crossings are closed, and US President George W. Bush has announced that "we will turn back any refugee that attempts to reach our shore." and set up a cordon of Coast Guard vessels off the Haitian coast to deter boat departures. So far, more than 1,000 Haitian boat people have been summarily returned. Turning refugees back to likely persecution is a violation of international refugee law.
Amnesty International is extremely concerned that Haitian judicial institutions have been further weakened by the recent political turmoil, making it difficult to hold authorities and armed opposition groups accountable for the deaths of hundreds of civilians since February 5. Furthermore, former military and paramilitary leaders responsible for serious human rights violations have taken up leadership positions within Haiti's armed opposition, and may demand impunity and a significant role in defining Haiti's future. If Haiti is to overcome the cycle of violence that has plagued the country the past decade, it must move quickly to ensure impunity does not take hold in the post-Aristide era.
As millions took to the streets to protest rampant violence, inequality, corruption and impunity, or were forced to flee their countries in search of safety, states across the Americas clamped …
The Dominican Republic has unlawfully expelled hundreds of Dominicans to Haiti who have been caught in the middle of a wave of returns and deportations of more than 100,000 people in recent months, Amnesty International said in a new report a year after the Dominican Republic ended a moratorium on deportations on June 18, 2015.
The Dominican Republic has unlawfully expelled hundreds of Dominicans to Haiti who have been caught in the middle of a wave of returns and deportations of more than 100,000 people in recent months, Amnesty International said in a new report a year after the Dominican Republic ended a moratorium on deportations on June 18, 2015.
On the launch of its 2015 State of the World report, Amnesty International USA urged President Obama to use his last year in office to bring U.S. laws and policies in line with international human rights standards.
International protection of human rights is in danger of unravelling as short-term national self-interest and draconian security crackdowns have led to a wholesale assault on basic freedoms and rights, warned Amnesty International as it launched its annual assessment of human rights around the world. “Your rights are in jeopardy: they are being treated with utter contempt by many governments around the world,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
International protection of human rights is in danger of unravelling as short-term national self-interest and draconian security crackdowns have led to a wholesale assault on basic freedoms and rights, warned Amnesty International as it launched its annual assessment of human rights around the world. “Your rights are in jeopardy: they are being treated with utter contempt by many governments around the world,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
This has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones. Governments pay lip service to the importance of protecting civilians. And yet the world's politicians have miserably failed to protect those in greatest need. Amnesty International believes that this can and must finally change.
Five years on from a devastating earthquake in Haiti, tens of thousands of people remain homeless as government policy failures, forced evictions and short-term solutions have failed many who lost everything in the disaster.
REPUBLIC OF HAITI Head of state Michel Joseph Martelly Head of government Laurent Lamothe More than 320,000 people made homeless by the January 2010 earthquake remained displaced during 2012. Thousands …
More than three years after the devastating earthquake that left over 200,000 people dead and some 2.3 million homeless, tens of thousands of families are still living in shelters made of frayed tarpaulins or tin sheets.