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News
Haiti: UN Peacekeepers Open Fire on Jean-Juste Funeral Protest
- Details
- Created on Saturday, 20 June 2009 17:59
- Written by Kevin Pina
Credibility of elections in Haiti challenged
by Kevin Pina - Haiti Information Project (HIP)
by Kevin Pina - Haiti Information Project (HIP)
Fanmi Lavalas, Haiti's largest political party and grassroots movement, laid Catholic liberation theology priest Father Gerard Jean-Juste to rest this past Thursday. Mourners at the funeral of Haitian priest Father Gerard Jean-Juste march with his coffin in the area of Haiti's national cathedral moment before gunfire erupted. - ©2009 Jean Ristil/ Haiti Information Project
A large banner waved overhead declaring "[Father] Jerry you left us but the struggle continues" as thousands of mourners streamed out carrying Jean-Juste's casket sparking an impromptu pro-Lavalas demonstration.
Chants of "The struggle continues, return Aristide" and "No elections without Lavalas" rang through the streets as a reminder that Lavalas is preparing to wage a second round of boycotts against the upcoming Senate elections scheduled for Sunday.
The procession and demonstration were suddenly interrupted by gunfire that could be heard from around the corner. Witnesses report that Brazilian soldiers with the UN military mission opened fire after attempting to arrest one of the mourners. The UN has since denied the shooting and claim that the victim had been killed by either a rock thrown by the crowd or a blunt instrument. Eyewitnesses on the scene have countered that the UN is trying to cover-up the affair as it promises to heighten tensions before Sunday's elections.
The procession and demonstration were suddenly interrupted by gunfire that could be heard from around the corner. Witnesses report that Brazilian soldiers with the UN military mission opened fire after attempting to arrest one of the mourners. The UN has since denied the shooting and claim that the victim had been killed by either a rock thrown by the crowd or a blunt instrument. Eyewitnesses on the scene have countered that the UN is trying to cover-up the affair as it promises to heighten tensions before Sunday's elections.
The UN and the Obama administration continue to endorse and finance a second round of controversial Senate elections in Haiti. The first round was held last April 19 and was marked by a low voter turnout following a successful boycott campaign waged by Fanmi Lavalas.
The Fanmi Lavalas party was excluded from participation in the first round after Preval's handpicked Conseil Electoral Provisoire (CEP) demanded original signatures on all of their documents. With former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, their party's national leader in exile, Lavalas was unable to comply with what some in their ranks have referred to as "a humiliating last minute request."
The powerful community organizations that form the base of the Lavalas movement then announced "Operation Closed Door" urging voters to stay away from the polls. A young man identified as "Junior" lies in a pool of blood after Brazilian soldiers with the UN military mission reportedly opened fire. The UN has denied their involvement stating he was killed by a rock thrown from the crowd or hit with a blunt object. Eyewitnesses charge the UN with covering up the incident. - ©2009 Haiti Information Project
Independent observers put participation at between 3-4% while the CEP announced it had been as high as 11%. Lavalas recently announced a boycott of the second round called "Operation Closed Door 2" and leaflets were distributed throughout the capital on Thursday urging voters to "stay away from the polls end the exclusion [of Haiti's largest political party]."
Members of the Lavalas Mobilization Commision, organizers of the boycott, are reportedly in hiding after CEP President Gerard Frantz Verret demanded last Thursday that the Ministry of Justice take "public action in motion against all those who undertake to invite the people to abstain from voting and against those who intend to endanger lives and property." Public action in motion or "action publique" is a remnant of the Napoleonic Code in Haitian law, and like the term "associating with criminals" is widely seen as a blanket charge to justify prolonged detention of political opposition in Haiti.
A second successful boycott of Sunday's elections by Lavalas would serve to further damage their credibility. The international community is reported to have invested over 12.9 million in an electoral process that many in Haiti say has failed to provide little towards solving the country's political insolvency and mounting desperation.
Members of the Lavalas Mobilization Commision, organizers of the boycott, are reportedly in hiding after CEP President Gerard Frantz Verret demanded last Thursday that the Ministry of Justice take "public action in motion against all those who undertake to invite the people to abstain from voting and against those who intend to endanger lives and property." Public action in motion or "action publique" is a remnant of the Napoleonic Code in Haitian law, and like the term "associating with criminals" is widely seen as a blanket charge to justify prolonged detention of political opposition in Haiti.
A second successful boycott of Sunday's elections by Lavalas would serve to further damage their credibility. The international community is reported to have invested over 12.9 million in an electoral process that many in Haiti say has failed to provide little towards solving the country's political insolvency and mounting desperation.