Human rights ofcial says Haiti is enduring “Conditions of Nightmarish Violence”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Tuesday, said the people of the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country of Haiti are enduring “conditions of nightmarish violence”

In his Global Update to the UN Human Rights Council, Türk said heavily armed gangs control services and access in large sections of the capital and the country “perpetrating frequent killings, abductions, random sniper attacks and a horrifying level of sexual violence

“The situation calls for a combination of responses: turbo-charging the political process towards free and transparent elections; fully implementing the arms embargo; effective sanctions against those who sponsor and direct armed gangs; and international support to build up the capacity of Haiti’s police and judicial systems to fight pervasive impunity and corruption,” he told the Council

Volker Turk, who had visited Haiti earlier this year, said there was also the need for the deployment of “ a time-bound specialized support force, with human rights safeguards

“We must keep Haiti in our focus, including in support to my Office’s work on the ground,” he told the Council

Over the last weekend, Caribbean

Community (CARICOM) governments reiterated their resolve to continue encouraging dialogue among Haitian stakeholders and supporting solutions to the multi-dimensional crisis facing Haiti

A statement issued by the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat noted that regional leaders with responsibility for Haiti met on Sunday, under the chairmanship of Bahamas

Prime Minister Philip Davis, who is also the CARICOM chairman, to receive the report from Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who led a CARICOM Special Mission to Haiti on February 27

It said that the mission met with a broad range of Haitian stakeholders to hear their views on the way forward to a Haitian-led solution and demonstrate CARICOM’s solidarity with Haiti

“The Leaders agreed that there must be a follow-up meeting with the stakeholders to chart a path to consensus building in order to bring peace and stability to the country,” the statement said

In his address to the Council, Turk spoke of the situation in several countries, saying he is aware that discussions of complex human rights issues may be difficult or sensitive, for some

“Others may feel they are best whispered behind closed doors Yet, we need to regain the space where we can discuss them in a constructive and open spirit, undisturbed by the tug of geopolitics and bearing in mind that nobody is perfect

“In the spur of the moment, you may not like what you hear but over time you may appreciate what we had to say My only consideration, and in fact my duty, is to stay true to the mandate, the normative human rights framework, and the imperative of improving people’s lives ”

Turk said contempt for the human being reaches agonizing levels when war breaks out, and violence becomes a daily occurrence

Three days of national mourning following death of former Prime Minister

Haiti has declared three days of national mourning following the recent death of former Prime Minister Gérard Latortue

The days of national mourning were held from March 5 to March 7

During these days the national flag was lowered and radio and television stations featured shows and music reflecting the mourning period

Latortue, a former interim prime minister of Haiti who helped rebuild and unite the country after a violent coup in the mid-2000s, died on February 27 He was 88

Prime Minister Ariel Henry said Latortue’s death was a tremendous loss for the nation and described him as “ a reformer, a convinced patriot, an eminent technocrat, a voice of change, of development (and) a supporter of democracy ”

Gérard Latortue was a former exile who was sworn in as interim prime minister in March 2004 following months of bloodshed and political strife that left more than 300 dead and culminated in the ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide

The turmoil at the time prompted the U S military to escalate its mission in Haiti

In February 2006, Haiti held general elections to replace the interim government of Latortue, which was succeeded by former Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis

The provisional president, Boniface Alexandre, was succeeded by former President René Préval Latortue had previously served as Haiti’s foreign minister, as a business consultant in Miami, and as an official with the U.N. Industrial Development Organization in Africa