Armed attack against the office of human rights organisation Réseau National de Défense des Droits de l’Homme
On 11 May 2020 in the early hours of the morning, unknown individuals fired shots at the offices of the human rights organization Réseau National de Défense des Droits de l'Homme (National Network for the defence of human rights – RNDDH) in Port-au-Prince.
Réseau National de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RNDDH) is a human rights organisation based in Port-au-Prince. The organisation works to report on human rights issues with a view to reinforcing the capacity of civil society to defend its rights and, monitor key state institutions with regard to their obligations to protect human rights and defend the rule of law.
On 11 May 2020 in the early hours of the morning, unknown individuals fired shots at the offices of the human rights organization Réseau National de Défense des Droits de l'Homme (National Network for the defence of human rights – RNDDH) in Port-au-Prince.
Réseau National de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (RNDDH) is a human rights organisation based in Port-au-Prince. The organisation works to report on human rights issues with a view to reinforcing the capacity of civil society to defend its rights and, monitor key state institutions with regard to their obligations to protect human rights and defend the rule of law.
In the early hours of 11 May 2020, the office of RNDDH was fired at by unknown individuals. Forensic investigators arrived at the scene of the armed attack to begin an investigation.
Pierre Esperance, human rights defender and executive director of RNDDH believes the organisation is the subject of intimidation acts in reprisal for its participation in the hearing before the US House of Representatives on 10 December 2019, to speak about the situation regarding human rights in Haiti.
The armed attack happened few days after the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) issued a wanted notice on 5 May 2020 for the RNDDH administrator Marie Gesly Damas Jean Pierre. On 23 April, she was summoned to the ULCC office on 5 May 2020 for an ongoing investigation into the organisation and a grant it received in October 2016 from the Development Assistance Monetization Office (BMPAD), which RNDDH believes to be a pretext for a broader investigation into the organization. Despite having already submitted the relevant documents requested by the ULCC on 24 March 2020, the human rights defender was summoned, which RNDDH contested as it believed it was unjustified given that they had fulfilled the request. As a result, the wanted notice was issued against Marie Gesly Damas Jean Pierre, an excessive escalation which may viewed as judicial harassment.
These incidents are not isolated and are part of a pattern of reprisals against human rights organizations in Haiti and their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights. On 19 February 2020 the office of Samuel Madistin, president of human rights organization Foundation Je Klere (FJKL), was vandalised with extensive damage. Bullet holes were found, and several vehicles parked in the office car park were set on fire. The office was vandalised during a police protest, and Samuel Madistin believes that the attack on the office was due to his position in favour of unionising the Haitian National Police.
Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned by the armed attack against the office of RNDDH and the wanted notice issued against human rights defender Marie Gesly Damas Jean Pierre as it believes they are being targeted solely as a result of their legitimate work in defence of human rights.
