HAITIAN LYNCHING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC STOKES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000463 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR S/CRS INL FOR KEVIN BROWN, DIANNE GRAHAM AND MEAGAN MCBRIDE SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2019 TAGS: PGOV HA PREL PHUM SUBJECT: HAITIAN LYNCHING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC STOKES ANGER, CRITICISM PORT AU PR 00000463 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Janet A. Sanderson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The murder-decapitation of a young Haitian national in the Dominican Republic (DR) has stoked anger toward Dominicans and criticism from Haitians against their government, perceived as lackadaisical in responding appropriately to human rights violations against Haitians in the DR. Members of the Parliament and Haitian-based human rights organizations have demanded a firm response from the Prime Minister and the President, publicly calling on the Executive to part from its customary passive, ''little brother'' approach toward the Dominican government, and forthrightly defend the human rights of their compatriots across the border. End summary. A Public Lynching -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Haitian media have given broad and lurid coverage to the reported May 2 murder and beheading of a Haitian national in a neighborhood outside of Santo Domingo. Most local reports highlight that this crime was in retaliation for the murder of a Dominican by the victim or the victim's brother. Reports claim that the murder took place in full view of a large crowd of onlookers who applauded and took pictures with their cell phones while the man was lynched. Some reports included photos of the severed head and torso. Political Class Reacts Strongly -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Haiti's political class reacted quickly, criticizing their own government's passivity as much as the Dominican government. On May 4, Senate President Kely Bastien called the act ''barbaric,'' and said the incident is the result of ''a certain degree of guaranteed impunity'' for Dominicans who commit acts of violence against Haitians. He stated that the Haitian government should recall its Ambassador from the DR. He also called on President Preval to use his amicable personal relationship with Dominican President Lionel Fernandez to get the DR to respect the dignity of Haitians living across the border, whatever their social status. Implying ineptitude on the part of Ambassador Cineas, Senator Evaliere Beauplan (Northwest) stated categorically on May 6 that the crime is the result of the ''irresponsibility'' of President Preval, who failed to evaluate and/or replace Haitian Ambassadors abroad when he was elected, a violation of the Vienna Convention. ¶4. (SBU) Senator Youri Latourtue, President of the Commission for Justice and Security in the Senate, expressed astonishment at the ''passivity and complicity'' of the Dominican police, who he said did not intervene even after crowds had gathered at the scene for more than an hour, and had not arrested any suspects 72 hours after the crime. He agreed with Bastien that the GOH should recall its Ambassador for consultations on the incident. ¶5. (SBU) Several Deputies also condemned the act and urged the Haitian government to respond. On May 4, Deputy Pierre Jerome Valcine (Cabaret, West Department) denounced the Dominicans for violating the rights of Haitians, specifically the ''right to life.'' He suggested the international community place the Dominican Republic on a ''blacklist'' for committing ''systematic violations of basic human rights,'' and urged Haiti to expel the Dominican ambassador. Deputies Patrick Dormond (Jacmel, Southeast Department) and Joseph Nelson Pierre-Louis (South Department) both expressed their desire for the Executive to ''assume their responsibilities'' with a firm response to the Dominican government. Dormond offered that Haitians in the DR should return to Haiti rather than remain in a country that ''treats them like animals.'' Deputy Guy Gerard Georges (Chantal-Torbeck) also called on the GOH to recall its Ambassador. Human Rights Groups Speak Out -------------- ¶6. (U) The premier Haitian-based human rights organization PORT AU PR 00000463 002.2 OF 002 dealing with problems of migrants and Haitians in the DR, the Support Group for Refugees and Repatriates (GARR),accused the Haitian government of ''laxity'' in pursuing human rights violations against Haitians in the Dominican Republic with the Dominican government. GARR Director Colette Lespinasse stated May 4 that the killing was reflective of deteriorating relations between Haitians and Dominicans in certain areas in the DR and asserted the Haitian government should revisit its diplomatic strategy with the Dominican government. Lespinasse underscored that Haitian government officials have yet to raise with the Dominican government the killings of more than a dozen Haitians in the DR since January. (Note: Haitian-based human rights group, National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) places the numbers higher, stating that the number of assassination cases is closer to twenty. End note.) Others have pushed for economic pressure as means of protest. Prominent Haitian attorney and leader of the Allah political party, Reynold Georges said in a radio interview on March 6 that the Haitian government should shut down all Dominican businesses for forty-eight hours in protest. MFA Speaks Out -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The only Government of Haiti official to speak out on this issue has been Minister of Foreign Affairs Alrich Nicolas, who on May 5 issued a statement calling the lynching a ''barbarous indignity to human values.'' He called on the Dominican police and courts to ''assume their responsibilities'' and urged his compatriots to avoid confrontations and refrain from taking justice into their own hands. Nicolas said furthermore that the situation has created a climate of tension that could hurt relations between the two countries. ¶8. (C) Privately, he told the Ambassador that he was disturbed that the Dominican government in the DR has been silent on the event, and thus far has not opened a formal inquiry. He summoned the Dominican Ambassador a second time May 6 to express Haiti's unhappiness and did not rule out further action. The crime would, he said, affect bilateral relations just as he hoped they were beginning to improve. ¶9. (C) The Dominican Ambassador to Haiti, Ruben Silie Valdez in a May 5 statement said that his government condemns the act and announced that law enforcement is investigating the case and working to arrest suspects. He said emphatically that while he laments this murder, it has strained relations between the two countries, highlighting that cooperative projects between Haitian and Dominican ministers reflect the ''excellent health'' of their relations. He said his government would soon issue a statement detailing how it is protecting Haitians in the DR. Media in Haiti noted the tardiness of the statement, issued days after the event occurred. ¶10. (C) Comment: Like the numerous previous violent attacks on Haitian nationals in the DR, this latest incident has provoked outcries primarily directed at the Government of Haiti. The heinous nature of the crime and the reportedly jubilant atmospherics at the scene of the murder has further elevated historical tension between the two countries, frequently manifest through acts of violence. The silence of Preval, while not surprising to most Haitians, has further reduced the public's confidence that he has the capability or the will to stand up for his people. Despite cordial official relations among ministries and between its two presidents; this cordiality has not filtered down to ease cross-border tensions or build tolerance among Haitians and Dominicans. If both governments fail to acknowledge the elevating tension that this incident has caused, a critical opportunity to improve cross-border relations and address ongoing human rights violations will certainly be lost. SANDERSON