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Background


OAS SPECIAL MISSION TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY IN HAITI

  July 14, 2003

Incident at Cité Soleil, July 12, 2003

Every Haitian, male or female, has the right, under the Constitution and the law, to visit every public place in the country. The Police have the obligation to protect and serve all the country’s citizens.

The Special Mission deplores all acts of violence by armed individuals, whether in the Central Plateau or at Péligre, at Petit-Goâve or Cap-Haitien, at Gonaïves or any other place.

In this spirit, the Mission deplores the acts of intimidation, violence, and stone-throwing and the obstacles put in place by persons and organized groups to prevent a group who had made all the appropriate arrangements from visiting Cité Soleil. It should be recalled that the Haitian Government, in four press releases on March 28, 2003, committed itself to all these points.

The Special Mission, which has no particular political objective concerning the country’s affairs and supports no Haitian political group, was present as an observer, according to its mandate under resolution CP/RES. 822, which is to observe and report.

The Mission takes this opportunity to convey its sympathy to all those who have been injured. It is regrettable that the operation set up by the Haitian National Police, although they were informed in advance, was insufficient and unsuccessful in preventing this turn of events.

The Special Mission calls upon all Haitians to demonstrate, through nonviolence, their respect for the opinions, freedom of movement and expression, and political choices of their fellow citizens.


Port-au-Prince, July 14, 2003

Reference: HA-071403E