U.S. must pay reparations to survivors of 1000's of victims of George HW Bush's 1989 invasion of Panama

By Grahame Russell - Rights Action

"To allow any of them to pass into the comfort of forgetting would be utterly obscene."
-Lawrence Thornton, Imagining Argentina

Around midnight, December 19, 1989, the U.S. unleashed a massive “shock and awe” invasion of Panama, attacking from the air, the water and on land. 1000s of Panamanians civilians were killed within days; many more wounded. Entire neighborhoods were razed to the ground.

On October 5, 2018, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ruled that: “the United States of America … provide full reparation for the human rights violations established in [this] report, including both the material and moral dimensions; Adopt measures that provide both financial compensation and satisfaction.”

· Jose Isabel Salas & others v. United States – Report No. 121/18, Case 10.573: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/2018/USPU10573-EN.pdf

(In late December, 1989, at a place called the Garden of Peace, the U.S. military dumped 123 Panamanian bodies of Operation Just Cause invasion victims into a common grave; they did not bother to identify the cadavers, or advise the family members. CODEHUCA “This is the just cause” report, 1990)

U.S. Owes Reparations to Panama over Bush’s Invasion

For close to 30 years, the Center for Constitutional Rights has been representing Panamanian survivors of the December 19, 1989, U.S. invasion of Panama, in an on-going struggle for a measure of justice and reparations for 1000s of people killed, many more wounded, plus untold amounts of destruction.

The Dominican Republic's Political Scene and the road to 2020

[Note from the editors: The HaitiAnalysis collective is happy to announce the relaunching of our site at our original domain  http://www.haitianalysis.com.  We will continue to update this blogspot page for the time being, but in the future only the main domain will be updated. We are happy to announce that we will be relaunching the publication of original material, with a few new articles every month. We will also be expanding our coverage to include the Dominican Republic . Please stay tuned for big things! Below is a new analytical piece providing an overview of the Dominican Republic's political scene and the author's views on where political events are headed in that country.]


By: Ariel Fornari - HaitiAnalysis

The ruling PLD's internal struggles and the 2020 elections

Over recent weeks and months the possible re-election of President Danilo Medina has sparked a plethora of internal conflicts within the ruling PLD (Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana).  President Medina’s appointed officials belonging to the “sector externo”, insist that he run for a second re-election, but the majority of these “sector externo” officials, are not even members or heirs of the party’s founding nucleus, which Professor Juan Bosch founded in 1973 as an ideologically progressive collective, after leaving the historical PRD (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano) earlier that year.[1]  

     It’s noteworthy that in Santiago, D. R.’s second most important city with a population of over one million, officials holding high positions such as the municipal water company’s director are not even from Santiago, also belong to the “sector externo” of Medina. This in turn is generating the current tug-of-war, with Santiago’s mayor Abel Martinez, who happens to belong to (ex-President) Leonel Fernandez’s faction within the PLD. 

Ex-President Leonel Fernandez aiming for a political comeback 

      Santiago's mayor Abel Martinez is an avowed "nationalist" with anti-Haitian leanings, when as president of the D. R.’s lower house he stubbornly confronted in 2013 the visiting Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which was on a fact finding mission regarding D. R.’s Constitutional Tribunal’s Ruling 168-13. The ruling had denationalized over 200,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent, causing much international backlash over the racist policies. As proof of his unwavering loyalty towards Fernandez, Martinez held a large and extravagant rally for Fernandez’s presidential candidacy, at a Santiago sports stadium on December 9, 2018. Some Dominican media are speculating that Martinez aspires to be Vice-President on the 2020 electoral ticket with Fernandez.

       Regarding the Medina re-election issue, if no agreement is reached between Medina and Fernandez, the re-election issue becomes moot, opening the door to other PLD leaders via a national winner-take-all convention. In this scenario, the winner is anointed at the convention and Fernandez would be a major contender, while Medina as sitting president couldn’t throw his hat in the ring, due to the obvious re-election constitutional issue, currently limiting a sitting president to a second consecutive term. Medina’s re-election ambitions could only materialize, under another constitutional amendment by the legislative branch, obviating the PLD’s convention scenario, and like President Balaguer remarked many times: “The Dominican Constitution is a mere piece of paper”. What has been done to the D. R.’s Constitution in recent times resembles more of a Saturday Night Live skit than the high level proceedings of a law abiding nation-state.

       We must bear in mind, Medina presently holds in his pocket the majority of the PLD’s lower house deputies, key players in constitutional amendments. Furthermore, there are some  PRSC (Partido Reformista Social Cristiano-a smaller right-wing party currently allied with the PLD) deputies, whose position would support a constitutional amendment, contingent on a mutual agreement with Medina. In this case, the Dominican folksy character of “the man with the briefcase”, would make his colorful entrance into this skit. To the unenlightened on Dominican rough and tumble politics, this translates to a designated courier, carrying a “maletin” or briefcase stuffed with sufficient wads of hard currency, to bribe enough deputies, adding to this Mafiosi-like script, mutual agreements between Medina and complicit deputies, so the latter could also be re-elected with attending perks as applicable. 

Haitians Strike Against IMF Friendly President, & Face Paramilitary Violence

Kevin Pina and Pierre LaBossiere on PHTK massacres in Cité Soleil and La Saline

Listen here to an interview (on KPFA's Flashpoints Radio) with documentarian Kevin Pina and Haiti Action Committee  founder Pierre LaBossiere, as they discuss the recent anti-corruption protests in Haiti and the brutal repression launched by the country's rightwing authorities.

Hold the U.S./U.N. Occupation Accountable

Haiti Action Committee

The United Nations, along with the United States and Canada, trains and supervises the murderous Haitian police and oversees Haiti’s horrendous prisons where beatings, torture and killings are routine. Condemn the police killings of demonstrators in Haiti by the UN-supervised police and attaches
 and demand an end to the US/UN occupation.
 Contact U.N. representative in Haiti, Sophie Boutaud de la Combe: e-mail: boutauddelacombes@un.org; Twitter: @SBDLC @MINUJUSTH

Sunday November 18, 2018, was the 215th anniversary of the victory at the battle of Vertieres when Haitians won a decisive battle against French forces in 1803, leading to the declaration of Haitian independence. People all over Haiti marked the occasion with massive protests against the theft of billions of dollars of Petrocaribe funds provided to the Haitian government by Venezuela. The demonstrators continued their call for the end to the murderous UN/US occupation and the imposed, illegitimate government of president Jovenel Moise and prime minister Jean-Henri Ceant.

According to radio and witness reports the police have been shooting at unarmed protestors, wounding and killing an undetermined number. The situation on the ground in Haiti has been worsening as the Moise regime, backed by the U.S. and the UN, has ramped up a savage campaign of repression against the population. In the Port-au-Prince area alone, the list of attacks includes the police killing of a student leader on 10/31/18, the shootings during the week of 11/5/18 of teachers and high school students in Site Soley (Cite Soleil) protesting months of non-payment of overdue salaries and the lack of educational supplies, the mass killings and land-grab expulsion in Kanaan (Canaan) and the massacres on November 13 and 17, 2018 in the community of Lasalin (La Saline).

Please read the Fanmi Lavalas statement condemning the 11/13 horrible massacre in Lasalin which occurred during the commemoration of another government organized massacre in Granravin (Grand Ravine) on 11/13/17, one year ago to the day. The statement in Kreyol https://tinyurl.com/ydg87mh8 can also be heard over a graphic video from Haitiinfoproj showing some of the victims. The death toll varies as reports from witnesses are being assessed; many were disappeared, bodies were also reportedly burned and trucked away.

We support and stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Haiti as they refuse to accept dictatorship and terror. Support and stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers on the ground in Haiti! They are unarmed and bravely taking on the US/UN-supported killers, the UN-trained police and their paramilitary attaches or affiliates.

Photos from UniFA's School of Dentistry

Students from School of Dentistry, practical class at the Foundation Dental School #UNIFAHaiti

 

The PetroCaribe Scandal and its Historical Precedents

Catherine Charlemagne - Haiti Liberte
History will likely record the Oct. 17, 2018 demonstration as the real beginning of this PetroCaribe uprising.

Clearly, the PetroCaribe affair is gaining momentum. With every passing day, Haitian society becomes more engrossed with this scandal which exposes the outrageous conduct of our leaders vis-à-vis public funds.

UniFA: Reduce neonatal mortality in Haiti!

The University of the Aristide Foundation (UniFA)

Our fundraising goal is $3,000, to include 20 NeoNatalie resuscitation simulator kits ($86), 20 resuscitation bags and suction devices ($25), and teaching flipcharts and workbooks ($304), plus shipping. CLICK HERE: https://ubackforgood.com/donor/…

The Helping Babies Breathe curriculum is being brought to UNIFA in order to provide neonatal resuscitation training to medical and nursing students.




Volunteers (including Certified Trainers) are working with Friends of UNIFA to bring this American Academy of Pediatrics program to UNIFA.

Tear-Gassing of Belair Funeral Provokes Outrage

Kim Ives - Haiti Liberte

When it was learned that at least two people were killed by police bullets outside the church, the mourners marched with the caskets down the hill to the center of town.

On Oct. 31, hundreds of mourners gathered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Port-au-Prince’s Belair neighborhood for the funeral of six of the seven protestors killed by police during the massive Oct. 17 march against the plundering of hundreds of millions of dollars from the Venezuela-provided PetroCaribe fund.

Black Internationalism and the Colonial Challenges Facing Haiti and Venezuela

Jeanette Charles - Haiti Action Committee

Solidarity as defined by President Aristide takes root in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu: “a person is a person through other human beings. A person becomes a person through the community. A person is a person when she/he treats others well….Ubuntu is the source of all philosophy grounded in solidarity, cooperation, unity, respect, dignity, justice, liberty and love of the other.” – Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haïti-Haitii?: Philosophical Reflections for Mental Decolonization.

“Haiti has no debt with Venezuela, just the opposite: Venezuela has a historical debt with that nation, with that people for whom we feel not pity but rather admiration, and we share their faith, their hope.” – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez upon absolving Haiti of all financial debt in the wake of the 2010 earthquake.

After 35 years of incarceration, political prisoner and freedom fighter Oscar López Rivera was released in 2017. One of his revolutionary lessons urges us to recognize that “colonialism is the problem” we continue to face today. While he specifically referred to Puerto Rico and its colonial status, his reflection is applicable to anywhere in the world devastated by exploitation, occupation, and invasion at the hands of European colonialism and US imperialism. As such, we can examine the current and historical challenges facing both Venezuela and Haiti, as well as their complicated relationship, as cases that expose the open wounds and lasting effects of colonialism and counter-revolutionary attacks against revolutionary processes committed to liberation and the reconfiguration of global power.

Deforestation Triggered Mass Extinction of Endemic Animal Species in Haiti

Temple University College of Science and Technology

The loss of more than 99% of primary, virgin forests in Haiti is triggering an ongoing mass extinction of reptiles, amphibians, and other species. This deforestation is the main threat to species globally, more than disease, climate change or invasive species.
Virgin primary forest on Haiti’s Massif de la Hotte near Macaya Peak. Credit: Claudio Contreras

Trump’s Economic Sanctions Have Cost Venezuela About $6bn Since August 2017

Joe Emersberger - Venezuelanalysis

The following piece by Canadian political analyst Joe Emersberger was written in response to a recent articleby Torino Capital Chief Economist Francisco Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez is well-known as an outspoken critic of the Maduro government, but in his recent article he recognizes that Washington’s “misguided” sanctions are exacerbating falling oil production in Venezuela and as such, pejoratively affecting general living standards.

Debate: Who Is Behind Nicaragua's Turmoil?

The Real News Network - Debate between Dr. Mary Ellsberg of George Washington University and Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone Project.

Watch all three parts here.

Who is Jean-Henry Céant, Haiti’s New Prime Minister Nominee?

By Kim Ives - Counterpunch

On Sun., Aug. 5, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse nominated two-time presidential candidate Jean Henry Céant, 61, leader of the Renmen Ayiti (Love Haiti) party, to be his next prime minister.

If approved by Parliament, Céant would replace Jack Guy Lafontant, who resigned on Sat., Jul. 14 as Moïse’s first prime minister following a three-day nationwide uprising from Jul. 6-8 (and then a two-day general strike), which resulted in a few deaths and dozens of businesses being burned or damaged. The rebellion against corruption, waste, and austerity, which is still smoldering, was sparked by steep fuel price hikes on gasoline (38%), diesel (47%), and kerosene (51%).

Moïse’s announced his choice over Twitter (as he had for Lafontant) after two days of protracted negotiations with parliamentarians.

Trained as a lawyer, Céant has a genial personality but is widely viewed and reviled by the Haitian people as a “land thief” (volè tè) for his conduct as a notaireor notary, who in Haiti is a cross between an accountant and lawyer supposedly safeguarding the titles to their clients’ land. Almost every notaire is accused, rightly or wrongly, of absconding with land titles, often after their clients die.

Rightwing in Haiti facing criticism over corruption

Here are copies of some recent tweets criticizing the role of the Jovenel Moïse government in corruption, which had already heightened under the rightwing predecessor administration of Michel Martelly. Both of these administrations entered office under historically low-turn outs and mass voter suppression.

Residents block @moisejovenel's motorcade at Pelerin 5 in PAP, #Haiti. He is accused of confiscating their land & homes to create "security buffer" for his private residence. pic.twitter.com/UdgOStEFTz

— HaitiInfoProject 📡 (@HaitiInfoProj) August 22, 2018

On Facebook's Removal of the HaitiAnalysis Page

We are currently preparing a response to the recent removal of our page from Facebook. It is important to note that many other independent media and information outlets have faced a similar crackdown over the internet, including Venezuelanalysis.

Buy your ticket to join the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) at Gotham Comedy Club

Only 2 hours left to buy your ticket to join the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI)  at Gotham Comedy Club in New York to laugh and learn about our crucial work to advance human rights in Haiti. Headlining the event are Haitian-American comedians J-L Cauvin, Tanael Joachim and Reg Thomas and our host Vladimir Calixte, known as Haitian V.

Buy your ticket today to help us:

• Keep the pressure on the UN until it delivers on its promise to raise $400 million to eliminate cholera in Haiti and compensate the victims;

• Win justice for victims of rape while addressing the systemic issues that make women vulnerable to sexual assault; and

• Stand up for Haitians in the U.S. targeted by President Trump’s racist immigration policies.

All proceeds will benefit BAI/IJDH’s advocacy and legal work in Haiti!

Where: Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd St. Between 7th and 8th Avenues, New York, NY 10011

When: Wednesday, May 2, 2018 8:00 PM (Doors open at 7:15 PM) Ticket Price: $30.00 (plus two beverages minimum)!

Restrictions: 18 & over

Buy your ticket(s) NOW at Gotham Comedy Club website (use our promo code “jistis” to get $10 off your ticket)! 


Thank you for joining us tonight in support of IJDH and BAI's work in Haiti.

A U.N.-backed police force carried out a massacre in Haiti. The killings have been almost entirely ignored.

Jake Johnston - The Intercept

AT 5 O’CLOCK on the morning of November 13, more than 200 Haitian police officers raided the Grand Ravine area of Port-au-Prince. There was a series of loud explosions, followed by gunfire. For the next six hours, the commotion didn’t stop. The neighborhood was under siege.

What had started as an anti-gang operation in a poor and largely forgotten neighborhood — in a poor and largely forgotten country — ended in the summary execution of innocent civilians on a school campus.

Lettre de Soutien à la Médiation au Venezuela, pas aux Sanctions

Cette lettre va être envoyée aux membres du Congrès des États-Unis, au Parlement du Canada et aux médias. Elle sera publiée dans d’autres médias, et au moins 5 de ses signataires se rendront au Venezuela pour la commémoration d’Hugo Chavez en mars, où elle sera présentée.

---

Lettre de Soutien à la Médiation au Venezuela, pas aux Sanctions

Nous exhortons les gouvernements des États-Unis et du Canada à retirer immédiatement leurs sanctions illégales* contre le Venezuela et à soutenir les efforts de médiation entre le gouvernement du Venezuela et les segments non violents de l’opposition politique.

Nous, les organisations et individus aux États-Unis et au Canada soussignés, soutenons des relations hémisphériques fondées sur le respect de la souveraineté de tous les peuples des Amériques. Nous sommes profondément préoccupés par l’utilisation de sanctions illégales, dont l’effet se fait le plus sentir dans les secteurs les plus pauvres et les plus marginaux de la société, pour contraindre le changement politique et économique dans une démocratie sœur. Nous constatons depuis les années 1990 que les sanctions ne servent qu’à appauvrir les familles ordinaires et à déstabiliser l’ordre public. Nous sommes incapables de citer un seul cas où les sanctions ont eu un impact positif.

Les sondages au Venezuela montrent que la grande majorité des Vénézuéliens s’oppose aux sanctions, indépendamment de leur opinion sur le gouvernement Maduro. Les sanctions ne font que compliquer les efforts déployés par le Vatican, la République dominicaine et d’autres acteurs internationaux pour négocier une résolution de la polarisation profonde au Venezuela. De plus, les sanctions sapent les efforts du gouvernement démocratiquement élu et de l’Assemblée constituante pour résoudre les problèmes économiques critiques et déterminer leur propre destin politique.