VII. THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSEThe Dominican Republic has come under strong and sustained international criticism for its treatment of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. Several intergovernmental bodies - including the U.N. Human Rights Committee, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child - have expressed concern regarding abuses committed against the Haitian population. Their analysis of the situation draws on the continuing efforts of local human rights groups in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Although subsequent Dominican presidents have shown somewhat greater openness to international scrutiny, the government's fall-back position has frequently been an intransigent one. Indeed, President Leonel Fernández's reaction to a 1999 report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in which he declared himself "indignant" over the report's criticisms, seemed almost to mimic Balaguer's.150 The mass deportations that were instituted soon after the report's release were also disturbingly reminiscent of the Balaguer approach.
Any suggestion to [that the country suffers from racial prejudice] is completely wrong and . . . has been manipulated in some international reports. . . . Apart from its absurdity, the very notion would appear to be merely a pretext for the continued existence of some NGOs, both national and foreign.151 Not only have international recommendations been spurned, but local groups have been under heavy pressure to mute their criticisms. Ultra-nationalist politicians, leading religious figures, and commentators have publicly attacked human rights advocates for their defense of the rights of Haitians and Dominico-Haitians.152 These attacks were particularly virulent during the April 2001 flag-burning scandal.
Inter-American Human Rights System
United Nations
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to bring offenders to justice, to prevent discrimination, to uphold
We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those holding power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, executive director; Michele Alexander, development director; Reed Brody, advocacy director; Carroll Bogert, communications director; John T. Green, operations director, Barbara Guglielmo, finance director; Lotte Leicht, Brussels office director; Michael McClintock, deputy program director; Patrick Minges, publications director; Maria Pignataro Nielsen, human resources director; Malcolm Smart, program director; Wilder Tayler, legal and policy director; and Joanna Weschler, United Nations representative. Jonathan Fanton is the chair of the board. Robert L. Bernstein is the founding chair. Its Americas division was established in 1981 to monitor human rights in Latin America and the
Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org
150 See Juan O. Tamayo, "A Dominican Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Keeps Desperate Haitians out, Expels Thousands Already in," Miami Herald, February 6, 2000. 151 Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Consideration of Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 9 of the Convention, Addendum, Dominican Republic, U.N. Doc. CERD/C/331/Add.1 (February 11, 1999), para. 6. 152 Human Rights Watch interview, Dominican human rights advocates, Santo Domingo, June 7, 2001. 153 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Annual Report 2000, Chapter 5 (April 16, 2001). 154 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Report No. 28/01, Case 12.189, Dominican Republic (February 22, 2001). 155 Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional, Comunicado de Prensa, "Victoria de los derechos humanos de la niñez en la República Dominicana," October 3, 2001. 156 See International Human Rights Clinic of the University of California at Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall), the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), and National Coalition for Haitian Rights, Request for Precautionary Measures (letter to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), November 17, 1999. A few months later, the Human Rights Clinic of the Columbia University School of Law joined the case as co-petitioner. See letter to Bertha Santoscoy, staff attorney, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, from Laurel E. Fletcher, International Human Rights Clinic of the University of California at Berkeley, and others, March 16, 2000. 157 Ibid. 158 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Solicitud de Medidas Cautelares: Expulsión de Extranjeros de la República Dominicana (letter to the Dominican government), November 22, 1999. 159 See, for example, Dominican Republic, Situación de Extranjeros de la República Dominicana (letter to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), December 23, 1999. 160 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Solicitud de Medidas Provisionales a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos a Favor de Personas Innominadas pero Integrantes de una Categoría Definida: Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano Sujetos a la Jurisdicción de la República Dominicana (letter to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights), May 30, 2001. 161 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Addendum a la Solicitud de Medidas Provisionales Efectuada a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos a Favor de Personas Innominadas pero Integrantes de Una Categoria Definida: Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano Sujetos a la Jurisdicción de la República Dominicana (letter to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights), June 12, 2000 (naming Benito Tide Méndez, Rafaelito Pérez Charles, Antonio Sension, Andrea Alezy, Janty Fils-Aime, Berson Gelim, and William Medina Ferreras). 162 Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Resolución de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos de 18 de Agosto de 2000: Medidas Provisionales Solicitadas por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos Respecto de la República Dominicana: Caso de Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano en la República Dominicana, August 18, 2000 (granting provisional measures protections to Benito Tide Méndez, Antonio Sension, Andrea Alezy, Janty Fils-Aime, William Medina Ferreras and requesting additional information about Rafaelito Perez Charles and Berson Gelim). 163 Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Resolución del Presidente de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos de 14 de septiembre de 2000: Medidas Provisionales Respecto de la República Dominicana: Caso de Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano en la República Domincana, September 14, 2000 (extending the provisional measures protections to Rafaelito Pérez Charles and Berson Gelim). The Court extended the provisional measures orders to the remaining two petitioners after receiving additional information about their citizenship status from the Commission. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Respuesta de la Comisión a la Solicitud de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos Expresado en su Resolución de 18 de agosto de 2000 sobre las Medidas Provisionales Solicitadas por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos Respecto a la República Dominicana, August 31, 2000. 164 Dominican Republic, Solicitud Medidas Provisionales: Expulsión de Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano de la República Dominicana (letter to Inter-American Court of Human Rights), November 3, 2000; Dominican Republic, Solicitud Medidas Provisionales: Expulsión de Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano de la República Dominicana (letter to Inter-American Court of Human Rights), January 2, 2001. 165 Human Rights Watch interview, Sonia Pierre, Santo Domingo, June 7, 2001; Human Rights Watch interview, Padre Pedro Ruquoy, Batey 5, June 5, 2001. 166 See, for example, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Resolución de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos de 12 de Noviembre de 2000: Medidas Provisionales Solicitadas por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos Respecto de la República Dominicana: Caso de Haitianos y Dominicanos de Origen Haitiano en la República Dominicana, November 12, 2000. 167 "Gobierno dominicano acepta que comité internacional supervise migración haitiana," Agence France Presse, March 20, 2002. The committee is to consist of various Dominican government officials and representatives of the petitioners. 168 The Haitian issue has been on the agenda of the United Nations human rights bodies for nearly a decade. See, for example, U.N. Human Rights Committee, Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee: Dominican Republic, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/79/Add.18 (May 5, 1993). 169 U.N. Human Rights Committee, Concluding Observations of the Human Rights Committee, U.N. Doc. CCPR/CO/71/DOM (April 26, 2001), para. 16. 170 Article 7 of the ICCPR bars torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; article 12 protects freedom of movement, and article 13 outlines the due process protections that should be followed in expelling aliens. |