Urgent Action: Human Rights Defender Fears for Safety (Haiti: UA 66.19)

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Dear Mr. Minister,

I write to you to raise my concern about the safety of Mr. Pierre Espérance, human rights defender and Executive Director of the National Human Rights Defense Network (Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains, RNDDH).

On April 26, unknown men on motorbikes, presumably belonging to a local gang circled his office in Port-au-Prince. He reported that different sources advised him about death threats made against him and that the police were aware of them. Pierre Espérance received previous threats in 2018, and in 2014 when a letter containing a gun bullet was sent to his offices.

I therefore demand that your office, along with the National Police of Haiti, fulfil their obligation to protect Pierre Espérance in accordance with his wishes. I also demand an immediate and independent investigation to prosecute those responsible for the recent threats and intimidation against him.

Yours sincerely,

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