Haiti: Elections yes, human rights violations no

In response to the international community's pledge of US$41 million to fund elections in Haiti later this year, the UK-based Haiti Support Group expresses its concern about the timing of the announcement and the context in which it has been made.

There must of course be elections in 2005 to replace the current 'selected' government with one that has been democratically elected. Furthermore, international aid is necessary to fund these elections. However, it is worrying that the announcement of election aid funding has been made while allegations that the interim government has been involved in serious human rights violations have yet to be addressed.

As well as indications that the police have been involved in the murder of civilians, the interim government is also accused of political persection of supporters of the former government and of the Lavalas Family political party. Hundreds of Lavalas Family Party supporters are believed to be in prison where they are being detained without being charged with any offence.

The current absence of any conditionality linking the disbursement of election aid with progress on human rights and democratisation is in sharp contrast to the suspension of nearly all multilateral development aid between 2001 and early 2004 to protest against the Lavalas Family government's failure to address charges of abuses of democratic norms and deviations from the rule of law.

Haiti Support Group director, Charles Arthur, commented, "If it was right to withold aid then, surely it would now be consistent to tie election aid to the human rights performance of the interim government. It is hard to see how free and fair elections can take place when supporters of one of the main political parties are victims of abuse by agents of the current government."

The Haiti Support Group is a solidarity organisation that has supported the Haitian people's struggle for justice, human rights and participatory democracy since 1992.

See the web site: www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org