Haiti
Protesters target Royal Decameron
On Oct.1, protesters made their way to Royal Decameron Indigo Beach Resort, where they erected burning tires at the hotel’s entrance and threw stones on passerbys. Hotel security guards had to take shelter from the fury of these individuals. Continue reading
Haitian artists finally line up to popular demands
Twenty artists working in the Haitian music industry have broken their silence to take a stand against the current political crisis. Grouped around a structure called “Kowalisyon Atis Ayisyen,” these music professionals say they support popular demands and also claiming a “clean slate.”
On Sept. 24, artists set their common position in a press release. The “Kowalisyon Atis Ayisyen” first praised the courage of the Haitian people standing up against “this system.” Artists are also concerned about the deterioration of the country’s socio-economic and political situation.
“The current political and economic system is destroying the Haitian dream and wiping out hope,” they wrote. Continue reading
Opposition intensifies pressure on the head of state
Haitian opposition leaders have taken a new step in the mobilization to provoke the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse. They presented the members of the commission of facilitation of the transfer of power on Tuesday. This is not an official structure since the government rejected calls for Moïse’s resignation.
Two former relatives of the PHTK regime, former president Gervais Charles and former Colonel Himmler Rébu are members of this committee. The other members are Hugues Célestin, Antoine Augustin, Michel Legros, Jean André Victor and Gary Victor.
Two other members will be nominated by other sectors, said Senator Ricard Pierre. No details were provided on the mandate of the commission which will have to carry out exchanges with various sectors of national life. The members of the commission will be installed in their new functions on Wednesday. Continue reading
President Jovenel Moïse in hiding, according to a Miami Herald editorial
Since the speech asking for calm in the streets of Haiti on Sept. 25, President Jovenel Moïse has apparently entered into hiding, says a Miami Herald editorial. Without access to safe drinking water, education or decent health care, the Haitian people have reason to denounce Moïse 31 months after taking office and making broken promises. Continue reading
False information broadcast on the radio fuel violence, denounces Fr. Rick Frechette
“Irresponsible journalism, such as radio broadcasts containing false information, published without any verification, does incredible damage to Haiti’s fragile democracy and easily leads to loss of life and property damage. The false news is also a devastating weakening of strong democracies, like the United States,” writes Fr Rick Frechette, recalling that the privilege of reaching hundreds of thousands of people from the airwaves must be balanced by the more stringent in responsible auditing.
“These obligations are summed up simply by the fact that what is reported must be true. It’s as simple as that. Simple because the truth is the truth. Difficult because, anyway, not all truths should be said. There is so much to weigh in terms of justice before speaking. What is true and right is to be shaped by what is wise to say,” he adds, mentioning that people and organizations, churches and businesses can suddenly be hit in dangerous ways and could be irreversible by false information. Continue reading
Haitian Foreign Minister calls for development reboot to close ‘striking gap’ between promises and action on ending poverty
“It is absolutely essential to reboot out collective responsibility… and remain mobilized around the Sustainable Development Agenda, as well as the objectives of the UN Charter, Mr. Edmond said on Saturday, welcoming the fact that the Assembly’s current session would be focused on multilateralism, thus pointing to the way forward for achieving sustainable development and peace. Continue reading
South Florida
Nancy Pelosi to speak with Venezuelans and Haitians in South Florida
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is coming to South Florida — nearly a year after her visit triggered a raucous protest that made national headlines.
Pelosi, whose Democratic caucus is in the midst of a burgeoning impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, is making a swing Thursday through Weston and Miami. Trump, coincidentally or not, will be just a few hundred miles away in The Villages in Central Florida. Continue reading
Health & Science
Haitians urge judges to find UN culpable for cholera outbreak that killed thousands
Victims of the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti, which killed at least 10,000 people and infected hundreds of thousands more, are petitioning the US supreme court on Tuesday to hold the UN accountable for having brought the disease to the stricken country.
The nine supreme court justices will meet in conference to discuss whether to hear Laventure v UN as one of their cases of the new term. The petition goes to the heart of the question: should the world body be answerable in domestic courts for the harm it causes people it is there to serve? Continue reading