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Al Jazeera: Is Duvalier to get away with murder?

Submitted by CHAN on February 3, 2012 - 09:24

Inside Story Americas on Al Jazera on Feb 2, 2012 features a 30-minute panel discussion on the decision of a Haitian judge on January 30, 2012 that Jean Claude Duvalier should not face charges of crimes against humanity. The panel features Lawyer Brian Concannon of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, Washington DC radio host Jean-Yves Point du Jour and Haiti Libertée editor Kim Ives. Listen or watch here.

Montreal Gazette: Frustration follows Duvalier ruling

Submitted by CHAN on February 3, 2012 - 06:00

By Sue Montgomery, The Gazette (Montreal), February 3, 2012

This week's news that former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier would not be tried for grave human-rights abuses committed under his watch may have been a serious blow to the victims but was met with a disturbing silence in most camps.

Partners In Health's State-Of-The-Art Hospital (Mireblais) Offers Hope For Haiti

Submitted by CHAN on February 2, 2012 - 18:59

Report on NPR Radio, Jan 27, 2012
Go here to listen or to read the transscript. The transscript is also below.

Even before the devastating earthquake in 2010, Haiti's public health care system was perhaps the worst in the Western Hemisphere. Then the quake knocked down clinics, killed medical workers and severely damaged the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, the capital.

Now, the Boston-based group Partners in Health has set out to build a world-class teaching hospital in what used to be a rice field in

Haitian judge proposes clemency to Duvalier on human rights crimes

Submitted by CHAN on February 1, 2012 - 13:32

Rights Groups Blast Haiti Judge on Duvalier Case

By TRENTON DANIEL, Associated Press, January 30, 2012
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti--Human rights groups harshly criticized a Haitian judge Monday after he recommended former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier face trial only on corruption charges — and not for rights abuses during his brutal 15-year rule.

The organizations, both Haitian and foreign, said Investigative Magistrate Carves Jean ignored critical testimony that would've given weight to a prosecution of the once-feared ruler known as "Baby Doc" for crimes that include torture, false imprisonment and murder. (See Amnesty International statement further below).

Mark Snyder: The 'Race to Zero IDP Camps'

Submitted by CHAN on January 31, 2012 - 17:58

Barbancourt eviction Oct 2011, photo Justin Podur (pictured).jpg

The Race to Zero: How Prioritizing Closure of IDP Camps Aids and Abets Illegal and Forcible Evictions of Haitians

By Mark Snyder, International Action Ties
The following article examines the ‘Race to zero idp camps’ practice by international organizations in Haiti. The article looks, in particular, at the tragic fate of the residents of ‘Barbancourt 17’ camp in Port au Prince that was closed in October 2011 with no provision of alternative lodging.

Cholera and blame in rural Haiti

Submitted by CHAN on January 30, 2012 - 15:33

By Dr. John Carroll, January 27, 2012. Posted to the blog of Dr. Carroll on the Peoria, Illinois Daily Star

Haiti judge: Try Duvalier on corruption charges

Submitted by CHAN on January 30, 2012 - 15:00

By TRENTON DANIEL Associated Press, Monday, January 30, 2012

A Haitian judge said Monday that former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier should face trial for corruption, but not the more serious charges of human rights violations committed during his rule.

Investigative Magistrate Carves Jean said the statute of limitations had run out on the human rights charges but not on the accusations of misappropriation of public funds. He did not explain his reasoning, but the once-feared ruler known as "Baby Doc" is widely believed to have used money from the Haitian treasury to finance his life in exile.

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