Cry from Haitians in the United States
No to dictatorship in Haiti! “To defend democracy in Haiti we need to send a strong signal to the tyrants of today and tomorrow.”
Faced with a dictatorial project at work in Haiti, we Haitians living in the United States, signatories of this letter, are launching a cry of alarm to the citizens of the world who share democratic values.
It is a cry of solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Haiti, victims of generalized insecurity. Slum dwellers are being massacred with impunity. Every day, men, women and children from all walks of life are kidnapped for ransom, tortured, raped and murdered.
These abuses are the actions of gang leaders who act with their face uncovered, with impunity and with total indifference to state authorities. According to several local and international human rights organizations, these “gangs” are instrumentalised by the highest state authorities in order to quell any popular protest against the government. The national commission of disarmament and reintegration created by the de facto president Jovenel Moïse goes so far as to federate these gangs, infamous, under the name “G 9 an fanmi ak alye” which means in English “G 9 in family and allies”.
Our cry of outrage is raised at the poor governance of the current state officials. The economy is bloodless. Corruption is reaching unprecedented proportions in the history of Haiti, when the vast majority of Haitians have no access to health, education, housing and other basic economic and social rights.
The scandal of embezzlement of more than 4 billion US dollars, resulting from the “Petro Caribe” project (a development aid fund granted by Venezuela), has pushed millions of young people into the streets in the past three years to demand the accountability. The government’s response to the just demands of the Haitian people is repression. Under the government of Mr. Jovenel Moïse, when honest citizens demonstrate, they are repressed in terror; the bandits are never worried.
Our cry is a cry of revolt in the face of the sham. Mr. Jovenel Moïse decides to remain in power beyond his constitutional mandate which ended on February 7, 2021. This, in defiance of article 134.2 of the Haitian constitution. His coup is part of a global dictatorial project. After having deliberately rendered the parliament dysfunctional by refusing to organize elections on time, Mr. Jovenel Moïse wants to impose on the Haitian people an unconstitutional referendum, to change the constitution, in flagrant violation of article 284.3 of this same fundamental law which is clear and unambiguous: “Any popular consultation aimed at modifying the constitution by referendum is formally prohibited”; this prohibition on modification implying a fortiori that of changing the entire constitution by referendum. Constitution that Mr. Moïse had nevertheless sworn to respect and to ensure respect. Tyrants don’t care about laws.
We strongly condemn this macabre project of an unconstitutional referendum which aims to give a coup de grace to the democratic rule of law, to ensure the impunity of the leaders of today and tomorrow so that they do not have to answer of their crimes. Indeed, one of the flagship provisions of this draft constitution is to protect members of the government from any legal proceedings during and after the exercise of their function, a kind of perpetual immunity.
The Haitian people will never agree to lose the democratic gains won through hard struggles, at the cost of blood and tears. We Haitians living in the United States will stand up alongside our people to defend their inalienable rights.
We launch a vibrant appeal for the solidarity of the citizens of the world to demand the withdrawal of all support from their government for the corrupt and liberticide regime of Mr. Moïse. Our call goes out in particular to the citizens of the United States of America, Canada and Europe to call on their respective governments to stop supporting the unsustainable, and to stay true to democratic values. Different actions are possible: petitions, demonstrations, sensitization of parliamentarians to urge world leaders to support a democratic transition in Haiti, so that Haitians can take their destiny back into their own hands.
For authentication:
- Jean Senat Fleury
- Jeansenatfleury@gmail.com
- +1 (561) 207-1718
List of signatories :
- Jean Senat Fleury, USA
- Joel Leon, USA
- Joseph Alfred, USA
- Martine Constant Hyacinthe, USA
- Marleine Bastien, USA
- Myriam Legerme, USA
- Gerard Bissante, USA
- Jacques Arnaud Demezier, USA
- Jean Prezil, USA
- Jean Sainphard, USA
- Medjine Fleury, USA
- Jennifer Fleury, USA
- Kerlens Tilus, USA
- Jean Junior Fleury, USA
- Roberson Joseph, USA
- Bitho Faustin, USA
- Dalton Oscar, USA
- Esena Boisrand, USA
- Maud Borjella, USA
- Jean Claude Sanon, USA
- Jamima Rateau, USA
- Carmeles Ceant, USA
