Civil society statement on the eviction of families in Canaan, Haiti

This statement was released by The Haitian Collective for the Defense of the Right to Housing, who works closely with MCC Haiti. Illegal, often violent evictions continue against IDP communities in Haiti. In December, MCC’s Wawa Chege covered the eviction of Village Mosaic, mentioned below. This statement was originally posted on Under Tents.

The Haitian Collective for the Defense of the Right to Housing strongly denounces and stands firmly against all illegal forced evictions taking place against internally displaced people, many of whom have moved to Canaan as an alternative to IDP camps in the city.  Individuals claiming ownership over sections of Canaan have been assisted by the police and local court authorities in carrying out attacks, destroying the property and homes of hundreds of families without reprieve.  Those who have been evicted have lost everything they own and been subject to unnecessary violence including: physical assault, shots by police, and spraying of teargas.  These forced evictions have happened despite the fact that the land they occupied has been declared public utility land for victims of the January 12th 2010 earthquake.

Two months after the earthquake of January 12th 2010, the Haitian government under the Preval-Bellerive administration declared the land in Canaan as public utility space as published in Le Moniteur on March 22nd 2010.  The state set aside Canaan for victims of the earthquake, as a response to the following purposes:

1. The Haitian State is required to relocate the families affected by the earthquake of January 2010.
2. The State is obligated to assist victims of the earthquake find appropriate shelter alternatives that respect their rights and dignity.

The March 2010 public utility declaration was renewed in 2012 by the Martelly-Lamothe administration as space to be used for the relocation of victims of the January 2010 earthquake.

The following evictions conducted in Canaan are an example of the violations to the decrees above and the most recent episodes as documented by the Collective members and the media.  These along with the other forced evictions since the earthquake are a perpetration of human rights law, and an unacceptable violation of the Haitian constitution:

Thursday September 18th 2013 Corail Cesselesse:  two individuals claiming ownership to this property (Calixte Valentin adviser to the President of the Republic, and Claude Corneille), arrived in Corail Casselesse during the day accompanied by armed civilians, some police, and a justice of the peace from Croix des Bouquets.  According to reports by witnesses in Corail Casselesse at the time, residents were commanded to evict the property under the threat of violence.  Policemen fired at a young man named Pierre Jean Frantz, demonstrating the seriousness of the threats.  Between the time of this episode, and the arrival of more Croix de Bouquets police, the residents within the vicinity had been cleared.

Saturday, December 7th 2013 Village Mosaic: a justice of the peace arrived on the scene with the  UDMO special police, as well as administrative police from Croix des Bouquets in four police cars, two of which bore the license plate numbers 1-515 and 1-247.   The justice of the peace ordered the eviction of residents of Village Mosaic, as the police destroyed the homes of residents, some of whom were still hiding inside.  Dozens of people were physically threatened, and some physically attacked.  These included a lady three-months pregnant, whose lip was broken open after being struck by a police baton. The resulting damage included more than 300 families spilling out onto the street in fear of their lives.

Thursday January 30th 2014 Village de Dieu and Village des Pécheurs: once again, the same agents responsible for the attacks on Village Mosaic returned to the scene and targeted neighboring communities, Village de Dieu and Village des Pécheurs.  UDMO special police as well as a group of privately paid bandits converged on the residents armed with guns, and equipped with mallets, and tractors to bulldoze the houses and clear the area of all signs of community.   The affected persons included children, displaced not only from their homes, but also their local school.  Additionally, on the same space, a large water tank was torn down, denying the residents of the area their basic right to water.

These evictions are not only a violation of human rights, but also exemplify the government’s unwillingness to find alternatives for those protected under international law, including internally displaced people.  Due to the lack of response by the government of Haiti to protect communities living in Canaan, the residents of Village Mosaic, Village de Dieu and Village des Pécheurs mobilized in the early morning of Monday, February 3, 2014, to protest against coercive perpetrations and violent evictions conducted by the alleged land-owners, the justice of the peace, and the police.  In order to disrupt the protest, the police converged on the crowd and fired tear gas shells and hit participants, scattering everyone in the area including neutral observers.  Once again the police used excessive and unnecessary violence; several of the peaceful protesters were injured.

We the Haitian Collective for the Defense of the Right to Housing denounce these sinister attacks on the residents of Canaan, which devalue human life, and place vulnerable groups in even more precarious conditions that before, including children, pregnant women, the disabled and the elderly.  The Collective calls attention to the disastrous state of affairs that ignores the violations and fails to investigate the perpetrations by agents of the Haitian government.  Members of the Civil Protection and representatives of city hall have failed to prioritize the rights of the most vulnerable.

These irresponsible acts on the part of the Haitian State are a disgrace to the country, and humanity as a whole, and efforts must be taken immediately to rectify the wrongs and recognize the right of every person on the planet to live in dignity. The forced evictions are contrary to the constitution of Haiti under Article 19 which obligates the Haitian State to guarantee the right to life, health and respect for people, including all citizens without distinction to age, race, or gender.   Article 22 requires the State to recognize that all citizens have the right to a decent home to live.

The laws above are but a reflection of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which began the international commitment to guaranteeing the protection of basic human rights such as these and Haiti is not exempt from being under the same obligations.

The Collective strongly believes it is time for the Haitian government and parliament to respond appropriately as the authorities and recommend that they:

• develop and publish a report on the reconstruction efforts and money spent on earthquake victims for housing and shelter solutions thus far.
• take the necessary steps to create safe and dignified living conditions for those living in Canaan including urban planning and provision of State services such as electricity, water, and schools.
• ensure that the public prosecutor’s office investigate all perpetrations of Haitian and human rights law, and arrest and put to trial those who were involved in the crimes mentioned above.

On behalf of the Haitian Housing Rights Collective:
Sanon Reneld and Jean-Felix Roosevelt