Dear Haiti Friends,
If you have friends in Mirebalais, you have undoubtedly herd from them that a gang has apparently relocated from Port-au-Prince, possibly in advance of expected UN police assistance. People are attempting to shelter in place. It goes without saying that it is a terrifying situation. I’m forwarding a short bulletin from Partners in Health about an attack on the Mirebalais hospital. Friends of Lee Harris: This was the hospital which took such good care of Lee several years ago.
It’s a terrible feeling to be able to do nothing. For myself, I have come to believe that UN intervention, as disastrous as outside interference has been in the past, is the only answer at this point. This time around, the discussion of the intervention has to do with bolstering ,training, and equipping Haitian police, which at least is an upgrade from past interventions that had very little to do with Haitian wishes or autonomy. As usual, our only actions from here seem to be limited to:
1. Continuing to support our partners in any way possible.
2. Keeping the country of Haiti on the radar screens of our elected officials though letters or calls.
3. Contacting the UN to urge swift action, and not just in Port-au-Prince. The information for the UN Human Rights office in Geneva is
OHCHR
- Website. http://www.ohchr.org.
- Telephone. +41 22 917 9220.
- Email. InfoDesk@ohchr.org.
Needless to say, Haitian citizens are living with zero human rights, including the right to be alive, at this moment.