Yvon Antoine alias Yvon Zapzap who escaped from prison on Saturday turned himself in to a UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, Minustah, patrol in the Bel-Air neighbourhood yesterday. It should be rememebered that this individual was accused of participation in the attack against the School of Social Sciences, FASCH, under the Lavalas regime. Minustah spokesman Damian Onses-Cardona confirms that Zapzap asked Minustah soldiers to take him back to prison. It should be pointed out that after his escape, Zapzap told a radio station in Port-au-Prince that the operation was led by armed Lavalas militants, and then he gave the current government 15 days to step down.
The severe warning issued by the government to the fugitives has begun to produce results. A good number of fugitives have given themselves up to either the national police or Minustah. The National Coalition for Haitian Rights, NCHR, is still worried about security at the prison. Human rights activist Yolene Gilles said, “It is necessary for the state to take charge of the detainees because, so far, the prisoners are depending on their relatives to bring them everything they need including water. So, this situation causes the prison system to be very fragile. The state should be able to provide all the prisoners’ basic needs and allow their relatives to only visit them when necessary.” The NCHR also wants the concerned authorities to conduct a serious investigation of former prison guards, who appear to be implicated in the escape.
The Provisional Electoral Council, CEP, expresses concerns about the events that took place at the National Penitentiary over the weekend. According to CEP Secretary Rosemond Pradel, the escape shows the fragility of the security system in Haiti. He said that no one is in security especially as the voter registration process nears, and this is an important test in the registration process. He urges all the concerned sectors to adopt measures to guarantee security in Haiti throughout the electoral process. Pradel said, “I think that what took place on Saturday shows the fragility and weakness of the security system in Haiti.”