Information transmitted to the de facto Government
241. By letter dated 8 November 1993 the Special Rapporteur informed the de facto Government that he had received reports of torture and ill-treatment of civilians by the military, chefs de section and civilians working with them. Severe beatings were said to be practically automatic when an arrest took place and were daily occurrences in detention centres run by the military or the police. Beatings are also reported in the streets, either during demonstrations or when the security forces made incursions into a particular neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince or in the main cities. In these cases even women and children were severely beaten. It was also alleged that the Port-au-Prince police went to the places where the street children slept at night, usually around the city's cemetery, and beat them so that they moved to a less conspicuous place. The individual cases referred to in the following paragraphs were also transmitted.
242. Jude Damus, was arrested on 10 September 1992 by members of the armed forces following an anti-government demonstration in Dame Marie, Anse d'Hainault, Grande-Anse department. He was initially held in Anse d'Hainault prison, where he was reportedly ill-treated on a daily basis, and later transferred to the prison in Jérémie. As a result of ill-treatment, one of his arms was broken.
243. Rigend Sévére was reported to have been severely beaten by soldiers in Verrets on 10 October 1992 as a result of which his left hand was broken.
244. Lerès Sidor was said to have been illegally arrested and severely beaten on 12 November 1992 in Desarmes by the section chief. The arrest and beating took place in the presence of three visiting Canadians and two Americans to whom he was showing a development project in his area. He was later taken to the military station where he was said to have been beaten again.
245. Philippe Pierre, was arrested on 20 November 1992 and taken to the Petit-Goave military barracks where he died as a result of severe beatings.
246. Jean Augustin, a member of a grassroots organization, was reportedly arrested in Port-au-Prince during the night of 30 November 1992 and taken to the Anti-gang Investigation Service, where he was severely beaten.
247. Maurice Damucy, a member of the National Committee of Congresses of Democratic Movements (KONAKOM), was reportedly arrested by soldiers on 8 December 1992 in Bainet, South East department, and severely beaten.
248. Dieuland Corjelas, a member of a peasants' organization near the north-western city of Jean Rabel, was arrested and severely beaten on 6 January 1993 by the local section chief of the armed forces and his assistant.
249. Raymond Amazan was arrested and beaten up on 11 January 1993 by members of the security forces in the town of Les Cayes, in South department.
250. Origene Cirias was arrested on 15 January 1993 by the section chief of Saut d'Eau on the charge of being a Lavalas supporter. Soldiers were said to have severely beaten him, ripping out his beard and burning parts of his body with matches.
251. Jean-Emile Estimable, a journalist with Radio Cacique, was arrested on 22 January 1993 in the village of Pont Joux, 3rd section of Marchand Dessalines, Artibonite department, and transferred first to the prison of Marchand Dessalines and later to St. Marc prison. He was said to have been severely beaten, in particular by means of the "calotte marassa", a simultaneous slap on both ears, usually given by someone standing behind.
252. Ernst Jeudi was arrested on 7 February 1993 by an armed corporal in front of the Grande Desdunes church and taken to the Desdunes barracks. He was said to have been subjected to the "Jack" torture method, in which the victim is beaten up while having a stick placed under his thighs and above his arms.
253. Monsignor Willy Romélus, the Roman Catholic bishop of Jérémie, was reportedly attacked and beaten by a group of armed civilians after celebrating mass in the cathedral of Port-au-Prince. According to witnesses, members of the security forces stood by as the bishop was knocked to the ground, repeatedly punched in the face and kicked.
254. Jean-Luc Antoine was reportedly beaten to death in early March 1992 by the military in Bainet, South-West department, after he was arrested by a corporal for walking in the streets while drunk.
255. Patrick Bourdeaux, a member of a grassroots organization, was reportedly arrested and badly beaten by members of the armed forces on 1 March 1993 in Jérémie, department of Grande-Anse.
256. Cajuste Lexius, Secretary-General of the Centrale Générale de Travailleurs (CGT), General Workers' Union; Phabonor St. Vil and Saveur Aurélus, members of CGT, were reportedly arrested by uniformed members of the police belonging to the 3rd Company, in front of the Radio Caraïbe office in Port-au-Prince on 23 April 1993. While in custody they were severely beaten with batons on all parts of the body and kicked. As a result, Cajuste Lexius was reported to have been unconscious for two days, to have his buttocks covered in open sores and to have suffered kidney failure.
257. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that on 3 March 1993 a group of armed gunmen believed to be linked to government forces ransacked the house of Saint-Jean Servil, a United States resident, located at Avenue Pouplard, Port-au-Prince. The assailants beat his 73-year-old mother and beat and raped his wife.
258. In addition to the above-mentioned cases, the Special Rapporteur received a list containing the following names of persons alleged to have been tortured after their arrest between June 1992 and January 1993: Franckel Augustin, Waldeck Augustin, Serges Belval, Luc Bienaimé, Herlod Bourcicault, Wilfrid Bruno, Julien Cadet, Pierronvil Calixte, Clemard Canadien, Bona Charles, Roger Charles, Jean Chery, Georgette Dantes (a pregnant woman), Arnold Dehoux, Franckel Delva, Daniel Demesmin, Jean Ernso Divers, Gabriel Dolce, Etienne Dorelus, Jean Denis Ducanord, Pomise Duverseau, (a 63-year-old woman), Aldrine Duvivier, Jacques Eddy, Clerma Edmond, Mathurin Elusma, Jackson Etienne, Guerda Exenor, Lucien Fils Aimé, Germene Garconvil, Orilaire Guerrier, Volvick Guerrier, Monfiance Herard, Nelio Jabrun, Josue Jean Herard, Dutemps Jean Louis, Luciani Jean, Louisjean Joanis, Euclide Josassin, Stephen Joseph, Judith Lacouture, Janise Laroche, Francois Louis, Carlot Louis, Neder Marcelin, Altide Mathieu Louisdor, Jacob Michard, James Michel, Baptista Milot, Pierre Mixo, François Mondesir, Lucenie Myrthil, Titet Nenet,Abner Nicolas, Elvie Payoute, Denis Philippe, Charles Pierre, Jaccilia Pierre, Philippe Pierre, Auguste Porcelay, Nicolas Raymond, Fresnel Regis, Jean Baptiste Samson, Luckner Simeus,Patrick Somezil, Celiane St. Fleur, Jeancilia St. Hilaire, Pierre St. Louis, Selondieu Sylvestre, Christian Theodore, Maurice Theodore, Jean Thomas, Lepe Ti, Thony Pierre Vixamar, Huguens Voltaire and Voltaire Remy.
Urgent appeals
259. On 6 December 1993 the Special Rapporteur sent an urgent appeal to the de facto Government on behalf of Sergot Metazer, Djobit Cius and Bertrand Dorismon, inhabitants of the Raboteau shanty town, Gonaïves, Artibonite department, who were arrested on 20 November 1993 in Port-au-Prince by soldiers. They were allegedly beaten on arrest and taken to the prison in Gonaïves. Also on that date, Chatte Metayer and Anvi Charitable were arrested in Raboteau and allegedly tortured by the djak method.
Observations
260. The Special Rapporteur shares the concern reflected in the interim report to the General Assembly of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Haiti that torture and ill-treatment by the military police and civilians working with them continue to be widespread and systematic in Haiti (A/48/561, paras. 68-77).