International
Demand justice after massacre in Canaan, Haiti
August 30|
The National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (Rnddh) of Haiti called on the authorities of the Caribbean country to arrest and convict the perpetrators of the massacre perpetrated last Saturday in Canaan (north of Port-au-Prince), as well as all those involved.
According to Rnddh, the government commissioner before the civil court of Croix-des-Bouquets (northeast), Roosevelt Zamor, should initiate proceedings not only against pastor Marcorel Zidor, alias Marco, of the “Bethesda Evangelical Church”, but also against the leaders of the Haitian National Police (HNP).
They point out that as a public force, the HNP is responsible for the massacre, since it could have prevented what happened, they argue, while condemning the irresponsible behavior of the pastor.
In that direction, the executive director of Rnddh, Pierre Espérance wondered “Why did the pastor not go with the faithful to the stronghold of the Kraze baryè gang, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, not far from his church located in Caradeux, instead of heading towards another gang’s stronghold in Canaan?”
According to Espérance, the pastor knew very well that this tragedy could happen, because it is impossible for the civilian population to succeed in dismantling armed gangs in the country without an agreement with the police, says Rnddh.
“Unfortunately, the Pnh stopped tracking armed gangs as of May 2023. This is what has allowed the gangs to return to power,” the text indicated.
They claim, in that sense, that the public force could prevent Pastor Marco’s followers from going to Canaan, because the latter have publicly announced their intention, the Rnddh maintains.
In a press release on Monday, the Armed Forces of Haiti (Fad’H) reported that they had not participated in any operation in Canaan during the past weekend: “If there are people wearing uniforms reminiscent of those of the army, we regret it”.
At least 10 people who participated in the march to evict the Canaan gang were killed and others were shot and wounded in the area by the gang, which also kidnapped several others.
International
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on Monday requested that the Supreme Court restore his freedom while he appeals the historic 12-year house arrest sentence he received for bribery and procedural fraud.
Uribe, the most prominent figure of Colombia’s right wing, was convicted last week by a lower court for attempting to bribe paramilitary members into denying his ties to the violent anti-guerrilla squads.
Since Friday, the 73-year-old has been under house arrest at his residence in Rionegro, about 30 km from Medellín. The judge justified the measure by citing a risk of flight.
However, Uribe’s defense team rejected that argument and formally petitioned the court to immediately lift the detention order, claiming it lacks legal basis.
Uribe, a dominant force in Colombian politics for decades, is now the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted and placed under arrest, found guilty of witness tampering and obstruction of justice to prevent links to paramilitary groups.
He has repeatedly denounced the trial as politically motivated, blaming pressure from the leftist government currently in power.
His political party, Centro Democrático, has called for nationwide protests on August 7 in support of Uribe, who remains popular for his hardline stance against guerrilla groups.
Uribe has until August 13 to submit his written appeal. The case will then move to the Bogotá High Court, which has until October 16 to uphold, overturn, or dismiss the sentence. If the deadline passes without a decision, the case will be archived.
International
U.S. Embassy staff restricted as gunfire erupts near compound in Port-au-Prince
The poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean is currently engulfed in a deep political crisis and a wave of violence driven by armed groups — a situation that an international security mission led by Kenya is attempting to stabilize.
Due to the worsening security conditions, the U.S. government has suspended all official movements of embassy personnel outside the compound in Port-au-Prince, the U.S. State Department announced Monday in a security alert posted on social media platform X.
“There are intense gunfights in the Tabarre neighborhood, near the U.S. Embassy,” the alert reads, urging the public to avoid the area.
Tabarre is a municipality located near Port-au-Prince International Airport, northeast of the Haitian capital.
According to a July report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in Haitibetween January 1 and June 30 of this year.
International
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that 136 boxes of food aid were airdropped into Gaza by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, and Belgium.
“In recent hours, six countries conducted air drops of 136 aid packages containing food for residents in the southern and northern Gaza Strip,” read the statement, which added that the operation was coordinated by COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military emphasized that they will “continue working to improve the humanitarian response alongside the international community” and reiterated their stance to “refute false allegations of deliberate famine in Gaza.”
The announcement comes as UN agencies warn Gaza faces an imminent risk of famine. More than one in three residents go days without eating, and other nutrition indicators have dropped to their worst levels since the conflict began.
The agencies also noted the difficulty of “collecting reliable data in current conditions, as Gaza’s health systems —already devastated by nearly three years of conflict— are collapsing.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported on Sunday that hospitals in the enclave recorded six deaths from hunger and malnutrition on Saturday, all of them adults.
Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction
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Uribe requests freedom amid appeal of historic bribery conviction