Every Casualty Counts, together with Casualty Recorders Network member Defenseurs Plus, delivered a video statement to the Human Rights Council in Geneva during the interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s interim report on Haiti (A/HRC/54/79). The statement highlights the increased level of violence in Haiti at present, identified in casualty figures recorded by Defenseurs Plus, and calls for international action.
Read or download the statement below.
Défenseurs Plus is a member of the Casualty Recorders Network convened by Every Casualty Worldwide (ECC), which has monitored the human rights situation in Haiti for many years. Their casualty records show that Haiti is currently experiencing an increased level of violence, including enforced disappearances and unlawful killings.
Défenseurs Plus have recorded 600 unlawful killings in the first six months of 2023, and at least 1,800 unlawful killings during the year 2022 – double the figure recorded in 2019. The organisation also noted a developing trend whereby the body of the deceased is removed from the scene and ‘disappeared’ by those responsible for the killing. This practice means the total number of killings may be significantly higher than those recorded.
Every Casualty Counts and Défenseurs Plus calls on the Council to make use of this casualty data to take an evidence-based approach to its actions on Haiti. This should include action to:
- Support the government of Haiti to organise democratic elections and restore democratic institutions without further delay;
- Encourage the Government of Haiti to accept the inquiry procedures under the Convention Against Torture and the Convention on Enforced Disappearances, which could aid better understanding of the structural and systemic causes of violent deaths in Haiti;
- Appoint a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Haiti to monitor developments and draw greater international visibility to urgent trends and issues.
Thank you.
