COMMUNITY JUSTICE, THE RIGHT WAY
MASSACRES AT MARTISSANT AND GRAN RAVIN AUG. 20,21

Lawyer Evel Fanfan convenes a meeting on Sept. 2 of community leaders, eyewitnesses, victim-survivors, and family members of victims to launch a comprehensive plan to bring justice to the community through legal means. The plan includes completing a thorough, independent investigation into all aspects of the two massacres--Aug. 20 at the St. Bernadette soccer stadium in Martissant, an adjoining community, Aug 21 in a hillside section of Gran Ravin where 4 houses were burned and as many as 5 persons were reported hacked to death. The plan also includes handling the legally required identification of corpses in the morgue and autopsies to determine manner of death. Funeral requirements are also in the plan. Then there are the victim-survivors who need follow-up care, many of whom have been afraid to go out of their hiding places. Follow-up care is given in the Doctors Without Borders clinic not acessible by public transportation. All members of the group were adamantly determined to pursue justice and to do what is required to ensure that the perpetrators will be put behind bars and that no more arbitrary executions will ever take place again. On this day UN rep Juan Valdes announced that from hereon in the Haitian National Police may not undertake any more operations without the complete supervision of the UN. He denounced the massacres in Martissant-Gran Ravin. Resolution 1608 of the UN gave MINUSTAH supervisory authority over the Haitian National Police. The Director of another human rights organization now much criticized for its serious bias against Lavalas Prime Minister Yvon Neptune criticized Mr. Valdes of wanting to destroy the Haitian National Police (PNH) by ordering strict supervision of their actions following the Gran Ravin-Martissant massacres.