Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)

https://lnkd.in/euDxRwxm

Highly recommended from IJDH lawyer Kristina Fried: "The racist lies against Haitian immigrants in the United States that have been dominating the news cycle are being delivered by Republicans, but they are built on bipartisan—and often racist—U.S. policies that drive Haitians from their home country to our borders. https://lnkd.in/evBHYT4s

Any law students want to spend the spring semester helping Haitians reclaim their democracy from internal repression and external interference? For 30 years, aspiring advocates have trained on cutting-edge cases at IJDH/BAI, and brought those skills to careers with human rights organizations, academia, governments, and international organizations throughout the world. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g7g4ftps

Please, please, read and share! We Do Not Need To Let The Playbook Work!

We’re celebrating IJDH’s 20th anniversary this year! Since 2004, IJDH & BAI have won major human rights victories in court, trained a generation of public interest lawyers & supported #Haiti’s grassroots democracy movement. Rise with us for the next 20 years by joining IJDH as a monthly donor. https://bit.ly/3Yf9r4 #IJDH20

We’re celebrating IJDH’s 20th anniversary this year! Since 2004, IJDH & BAI have won major human rights victories in court, trained a generation of public interest lawyers & supported #Haiti’s grassroots democracy movement. Rise with us for the next 20 years by joining IJDH as a monthly donor. https://bit.ly/3Yf9r4 #IJDH20

Out today, IJDH’s latest update on the current status of #HumanRights and #RuleOfLaw in #Haiti covers key developments from December 2023 through May 2024 (IJDH’s previous Updates going back to May 2019 here: https://lnkd.in/efavMg_2). Although insecurity and humanitarian needs remain catastrophic - and a new coalition of armed groups called Viv Ansanm launched attacks unprecedented in scale in late February - this reporting period also saw a dramatic transformation of Haiti’s political landscape. A Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) was formed after de facto Prime Minister Henry finally lost international support that had been keeping him in power. The TPC is already dogged by controversy closely linked to the same types of internationally-enabled state capture and government collapse that precipitated and perpetuate Haiti’s crisis. And the transition is neglecting to include women, which not only violates their constitutional and human rights, but also threatens its effectiveness. Nevertheless, this formal commitment to a transition represents a genuine opening for a return to stability and democracy in Haiti. But the transitional government can only live up to its promise of a participatory, democratic transition if women play an empowered role and if the international community finally renounces its policies of harmful interference and begins acting in solidarity with Haitian sovereignty. The latest IJDH Update covers ongoing violations of the right to life and security of the person; government misconduct, including institutionalized violence and corruption; chronic impunity caused by a dysfunctional judicial system; further marginalization of vulnerable groups, especially women and girls; the challenging social and economic landscape; and difficulties faced by Haitian migrants. Historic and ongoing failures by the international community to respect the human rights of Haitians and interference in Haitian affairs are core drivers of these challenges. Read our full update now:  https://lnkd.in/e_CDbVGj (forthcoming in French) Alexandra ("Sasha") Filippova, Brian Concannon and Kristina Fried

Strong show of solidarity for the fight for women’s rights in #Haiti: the United Nations Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls issued a strong condemnation of Haitian authorities for failing to protect women and being complicit in gang violence. It echoes IJDH's insistence that truly establishing security in #Haiti requires restoring democracy through an inclusive process that includes women’s leadership. Prior to this release, IJDH joined Haitian civil society members including partners Nègès Mawon & Haitian Women’s Collective at the UN to urge the Working Group to take action for accountability and the protection of women & girls in #Haiti. We welcome their condemnation as a step towards justice. The fight continues! Read the release: https://lnkd.in/e5FwycvV Photo caption: IJDH Senior Staff Attorney Alexandra ("Sasha") Filippova presenting at the WGDAWG civil society consultation. To her left, Pascale Solages, co-director of Nègès Mawon; Ilona Alexander, Secretary of the WGDAWG; and WGDAWG members Claudia Flores, Haina Lu, Dorothy Estrada-Tanck (Chair), and Laura Nyirinkindi

Bon fèt drapo! This #HaitianFlag Day, we're celebrating the Haitian revolutionaries who defeated France to create the world's first free Black Republic & those who keep up the fight for liberation and justice 🇭🇹

Last week, BAI and IJDH continued our efforts to bring Haiti’s fight for restitution and democracy free from foreign interference to the international stage at the Third Session of the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, held from April 16 to 19, 2024, at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. As part of their advocacy, the BAI and Haitian partners Mouvement de Liberté, d'Égalité des Haïtiens pour la Fraternité (MOLEGHAF), Étude et action pour les droits de l'homme (EADH), Sant Karl Levêque (SKL), and Ensemble des Citoyens Compétents à la Recherche de l'Egalité des Droits de l'Homme en Haïti (ECCREDHH) submitted to the Forum an Eight Point Framework Document for pursuing restitution for Haiti for the illegal “Independence Debt” extorted by France. In submitting the Framework to the Forum, the BAI and its Haitian partners hope to solicit the Forum’s support not just for long overdue monetary reparations, but also for Haitians’ efforts to reclaim the democracy that presenting the restitution claim requires. As BAI Managing Attorney Mario Joseph noted in his accompanying statement to the Forum, “Haiti holds the key to reparations for all people injured by slavery. But we Haitians need your help to reach the lock.” Read more, listen to Mario Joseph’s statement, and sign onto the Framework: https://lnkd.in/eyY9BxhR Photo caption: Although the BAI lawyers were unable to attend the Session in person, Haitian and diaspora civil society was well represented in Geneva. From left to right: Jacques Letang, Jocelyn McCalla, Michèle Voltaire Marcelin, Pascale Solages, Jennie-Laure Sully, Frantz André, Monique Clesca, Jemima Pierre, Eric Pierre, Michelle Austin Pamies, Yvens Rumbold, Dr. Marie Lemy, and Erik Crew.