The National Network for the Defence of Human Rights, RNDDH, has condemned the participation of the National Police in the serious incident that occurred on August 20, when at least nine people were killed, according to a report issue by MINUSTAH, the U.N. mission in Haiti.
RNDDH official Pierre Esperance asks the Haitian judicial authorities to assume their responsibility to have the culprits arrested and brought to justice. At the same time, Esperance denounces the declaration made by Juan Gabriel Valdes, the special representative of the UN secretary general, who wants all police operations to be carried out in conjunction with MINUSTAH. The RNDDH official seizes the occasion to underscore a blunder made by MINUSTAH soldiers:
The RNDDH confirms the statement made by MINUSTAH Chief Valdes, declaring that certain members of the Haitian National Police were involved in the terrible incident that occurred in Martissant on August 20 during a soccer game. The RNDDH believes that the culprits should be identified and brought to justice. At the same time, the RNDDH condemns the statement made by Ambassador Valdes, according to which, the National Police should not make any raids without being accompanied by MINUSTAH. This is a serious statement that could render the National Police inactive and, consequently, leave people in the hands of criminals, rapists, kidnappers and murderers.
The RNDDH does not support the blunders made by the police in their raids. At the same time, however, we believe that this is not a reason for the foreign forces to treat the police institution as an institution of bandits.
The RNDDH wants to remind everyone that the U.N. forces, as well as other police forces throughout the world, are in the habit of blundering, but these institutions were never destroyed because of that. What is necessary is for such institutions to be cleaned up and reinforced to make them more efficient in their job.
When the MINUSTAH troops in the Fort-National area gathered and sat with the bandits and criminals who fear neither God nor man and who were being sought by the national police, then we think that this was a blunder. But this is not a reason to prevent MINUSTAH from continuing to carry out its task.
The RNDDH thinks that these kinds of statements are more like support for the bandits, instead of a form of help to improve the general condition of security in the country.