Human Rights

In order to recognize those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes, the UN has created World Humanitarian Day

World Humanitarian Day (August 19) is an opportunity to pay tribute to humanitarian personnel who are working for the humanitarian cause, and to commemorate those who have lost their lives while working for humanitarian causes. It is also a day create awareness on humanitarian needs worldwide and the importance of international cooperation in meeting these needs. It marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, when 22 humanitarian workers lost their lives, including the UN Special Representative in Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello. World Humanitarian Day is the outcome of the relentless efforts of the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Foundation and his family, with the supports of the Ambassadors of France, Switzerland, Japan and Brazil in both Geneva and New York who helped to table and steer the draft Resolution through the General Assembly.

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Pierre Esperence began his tenure as a Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights after a ceremony held in Turkey. It was the first time that honor had been bestowed on a Haitian, and it no doubt came on the heels of Esperence's work as the RNDDH's (National Network for the Defense of Human Rights) head. The members of the international federation span over 100 countries and in his post, Esperence is set to vote in matters that will affect millions worldwide.

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Nearly 5000 Haitian criminals are being held in a building originally built in the 1930's and meant for only 1,500 inmates. The situation at Haiti's National Penitentiary is much the same in the country's other prisons. The overcrowding makes preserving order an uphill battle. A system of rotation allows officials to stop gangs from reforming within the walls, but the problem is exacerbated by delays in the judicial system. Many of the inmates are being held pending trials that may take many months to come.

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Here is a picture of Mrs. Durocher Bertin died at the age of 35. She was a well known lawyer assassinated by bandits in Port-au-Prince

She was assassinated in a white Subaru in which Mireille Durocher Bertin was traveling

It was reported that gunmen in a red Mitsubishi jeep shot up the front tire to stop the car. They then got close to the window and fired from both sides of the car. Mireille Durocher Bertin and her driver were shot many more times.

The death of this prominent lawyer was a symbol used by many to get back at the government of Jean Bertrand Aristide. This death has become a rallying point for members of various groups who wanted an end o the Lavalas regime . They all attributed the shooting to President Aristide's supporters. The supporters of President Jean Bertrand Aristide denied any involvement on the crime.

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The good work of the slain Father Jean Marie Vincent, assassinated by a flood of bullets in August of 1994, knows no bounds. As such, it was famously lamented by Claudette Werleigh, a colleague of Vincent's at the Catholic Relief Services, that not just one man had been killed by his murder. Father Vincent helped build Haiti by raising money and providing assistance for grass-roots groups. He aided farmers in finding overseas markets for their crops, did work with the poor and simply gave of himself plainly, often endangering his life for the rights of others.

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According to a report on January 17, 2014 According to Radio Kiskeya.com, a judge concluded that total of nine people were implicated in the death of journalist Jean Dominique; one of which, Former Senator Mirlande Libérus Pavert who was former head of the Aristide Foundation for Democracy. According to the report, Mirlande Libérus Pavert was the intellectual author of the assassination. Other named listed in the assassination include: Voodoo priestess Annette Auguste, aka Sô Ann, Gabriel Harold Severe, Anette Augustre, Gepsie Milien, Markenton Michel, Jean Daniel Jeudy, Jean Mercidieu Toussaint and Merite Milien

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There are many women of courage in Haiti, but last year, the United States Embassy in Haiti honored one such woman, Marie Yolene Gilles-Colas. She serves as the RNDDH's programming officer and was honored for the steps she has made to promote and advance the public's deference to human rights. A journalist at the start of her career, Mrs. Gilles-Colas became known for her defense of free press. She has been exiled, arrested, and faces continued threats, but perseveres in her fight to bring the awareness of the continued struggle for human rights in Haiti to the forefront of world news.

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