UN reports massacre committed by criminal gang in Haiti – JURIST
The UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday issued an investigation report on a massacre carried out by the Wharf Jérémie criminal gang in the municipality of Port-au-Prince of Haiti between December 6 and 11. They noted at least 207 people (134 men and 73 women) were executed by gang members. The leader of the gang accused the Vodou priests and elderly people of being responsible for his young son’s illness. Several relatives of the victims were also killed after being interrogated and mistreated. The gang tried to eliminate all evidence by burning the bodies with gasoline, or by dismembering them and then throwing them into the sea.
The Wharf Jérémie gang has been engaged in violent conflicts with the gangs of Village de Dieu and Grand Ravine for control of the La Saline port area in Port-au-Prince since June 2022. The ongoing violence, along with the poor governance and dysfunction of the justice system, has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and undermined the rule of law in Haiti.
BINUH and OHCHR have recorded more than 5,350 people killed and more than 2,155 others injured this year as a direct result of the violence, which brings the total number of people killed or injured in Haiti to at least 17,248 since the beginning of 2022. In April 2024, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for parties to “end the political deadlock, urgently rebuild peace, stability and security in the country, and provide Haitians with the hope that they so desperately need.”
However, the Port-au-Prince prosecutor’s office has not taken any action against the executions, which is a similar situation for other crimes recorded by BINUH and OHCHR since 2022. According to the report, for far too long there are no police nor judicial authorities have intervened at Wharf Jérémie, leaving the crimes that violated the international humanitarian law by gang members largely unpunished.
María Isabel Salvador, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti and head of BINUH called on the Haitian justice system to “conduct a thorough investigation into these horrific crimes and to arrest and punish their perpetrators, as well as those who support them,” and “quickly establish a specialized judicial unit to handle this type of crime.” Salvador also stresses that these crimes targeting the most vulnerable populations touch the very foundation of Haitian society.
The report suggests that the international community continue the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission under Security Council resolutions 2699 and 2751 to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring security while fully respecting international law. Moreover, to keep in line with the Security Council resolutions 2653, 2700, and 2752, the international community should prevent the provision, sale, or direct or indirect transfer of arms and related materials of all types to Haiti, from their territory or through their territory, or by their nationals, or using vessels flying their flag or aircraft registered in their country.
