Entrance to the St. Bernadette soccer field, part of a community--not
religious--compound in the Martissant section of Port-Au-Prince. 5000
fans were packed around the walls, on the walls, on rooftops and patios
of the school room section. Police and civilian machete wielders entered
here. The main highway is several blocks from this entrance.
The complex of classrooms behind the soccer field at St. Bernadette community center. This complex is not visible from the main highway leading into Port-Au-Prince downtown.
North wall over which victims tried to escape.
South wall of St. Bernadette compound."Violence Doesn't Make Sense"
"We're making peace. Part of a peace making program. The church is
beyond the wall to the left. UN traffic post is a block beyond the church,
out of sight of the soccer field.
Two of four homes torched on Aug. 21, 2005
by Tom Luce, Pres. Hurah, Inc. (Human Rights Accompaniment in Haiti) http://www.hurah.webhop.org, 509-428-8676
by Tom Luce 9/15/05
There were two separate ugly massacres in August in two different but neighboring sections of Port-Au-Prince, one on August 20 at the St. Bernadette soccer stadium in Martissant and another on Aug 21 in a residential section of Gran'Ravin. This writer has been personally involved in an ongoing investigation and community justice effort regarding these massacres and offers the following update as an alternative to the RNDDH (formerly NCHR-Haiti) report contained in the Konbit Pou Ayiti/KONPAY Haiti Report for Sept. 16, 2005.
There is a connection between the two massacres. Both involved killing innocent Lavalas activists and both were carried out by a murderous team of Haitian National Police aided by thugs using machetes marked with the initials, "PNH" or Haitian National Police .
The first massacre--in front of 5000 soccer fans in Martissant-- involved as many as 50 victims slaughtered because they were labeled as Lavalas scum. They were either shot by the police and/or hacked to death by the thugs with "PNH" marked machetes. The second at GranRavin, involving some 5 victims, was a pre-meditated combination of house burning, house vandalizing, shooting at a church, and killing by machete and bullets, again of alleged Lavalas scum by police bullets and thugs with "PNH" machetes. Witnesses to the Saturday soccer massacre say that the police and thugs threatened to finish the job the following day which they did.
Three separate articles with photos covering these events can be seen at http://www.hurah.webhop.org AUMOHD, a Haitian human rights organization with offices at 181 Autoroute de Delmas 23 (Pres. Evel Fanfan, 424-3334) is the agency conducting its own investigation and providing legal support for the two affected communities. In conjunction with AUMOHD, a US delegation has taken affidavits and has filmed survivors and eyewitnesses in order to prepare a case to present to the international community. Other Haitian human rights groups either have done nothing, or have merely commented on these massacres (usually combining them into one). IJDH has posted two articles.
The RNDDH (formerly NCHR-Haiti) report concludes that the Grand Ravin massacre (note: there were in fact two massacres in two different places and times) involved neighbors taking revenge on alleged bandits similar to other massacres reported earlier in the summer in Solino and Bel Air. RNDDH claims the police were passive witnesses and that the machetes used were not "handed out." These July killings were reported in the popular press, though not yet confirmed by believable investigations, as neighborhood lynchings. The press characterized them, as if to excuse the massacres, as a citizen summary executions of alleged bandits who had incurred the righteous wrath of good neighbors, thus eliminating the huge problem of kidnapers terrorizing the whole city.
The massacres at Martissant and Gran Ravin were definitely against innocent people perpetrated not by indignant neighbors but by police and known thugs against political targets. The UN also conducting its own investigation, has, according to Juan Gabriel Valdès, confirmed the involvement of the police (AHP Sept. 1). Mchael Lycius, Director of the Haitian Judicial Police has also confirmed (AHP Sept. 12) that police were involved and are being detained and that the civilians involved are being sought after. AUMOHD has gathered the names of the alleged civilian murderers, reported by community residents as having been disturbing the communities earlier in the year and asked to leave the area.
According to AHP (9/12/05) Pierre Esperance, Director of RNDDH (National Network Of the Defense of Rights of Haitians) attacked UN Rep, Valdès for having announced on Sept. 1 that henceforward "all operations of the Haitian National Police must be planned and carried out in strict collaboration with MINUSTAH with a view to good management." Mr. Valdes made his statement following the August massacres and made reference also to the July massacres as examples of how the Haitian National Police have been "out of control". Mr. Esperance accused Valdes of "destroying the Haitian police and supporting bandits." (Note:UN Declaration 1608 has given MINUSTAH control over the Haitian National Police as of June 05.)
AUHMOHD has worked with the UN human rights office securing the permanent posting of a MINUSTAH patrol in Gran Ravin. Community leaders have reported that this has greatly reduced the terror that had gripped the people in the area. It is also working with local media to prepare a full documentary. Ongoing work developed at a community meeting facilitated by AUMOHD President Evel Fanfan on Sept 2, has dealt with securing autopsies, backed up by the UN human rights office, of the remaining bodies of victims, preparing for funerals, and developing a community strategy for pursuing justice.
AUHMOHD is a volunteer organization receiving minimal funding to pay for phones, gas, internet and expenses related to its work for poor clients and communities. To learn more and to contribute to their work go to Hurah, Inc. website
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Tom Luce, President
HURAH, Inc.
Human Rights Accompaniment In Haiti
900 Advocates In The Northeast of the U.S.
30 Park St.
Barre, Vt. 05641
Tel. 802-476-7056, 522-3525
http://hurah.org (2010