ARTICLE - MAURASSE - FORST - NAT. DEFENCE

RICHARD MAURASSE MET MICHEL FORST ON IMPORTANT ISSUES
(Haiti Libre) -

Richard Maurasse, the Secretary of State for National Defence, accompanied by members of the Cabinet of the Minister of the Interior and Territorial Communities [Mr. Thierry Mayard-Paul], met Wednesday, February 7, 2012, Mr. Michel Forst, United Nations independent expert on the human rights situation in Haiti.

During this meeting, several points were on the agenda, including the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), ratified by the Haitian parliament, on January 31 and, the problem of detainees repatriated to Haiti.

Concerning the implementation of the ICESCR, the Secretary of State informed that the Ministry had organized seminars on socio-economic and cultural rights. Representatives of the Minister and Michel Forst agreed on the need to take stock of laws in accordance with the requirements of the ICESCR [Article 276.2] to allow the revision, adaptation and contextualization of these laws. A series of workshops in different departments and municipalities of the country will also be organized to allow exchange between various groups of civil society, local government officials and parliamentarians.

The problem of repatriation of Haitians sentenced for violent crimes, who have already served their sentences in the United States, was also discussed during this meeting. The Ministry indicated that it had already initiated a study in collaboration with the University of Miami in the case of these returnees. Aware that the country does not have financial and logistical means to face such a problem, representatives of the Minister of the Interior will create an Observation Centre, whose mission will be the evaluation of the dossier of the convicted person and his behavior during the first six months upon his arrival in the country. The result will determine whether the person will be incarcerated or not. The ministry team said that it waits for the recommendations of this report, that will serve as a basis to better assess the situation, and will permit how to understand and decide on which policy to adopt.

Article 276.2 : "Treaties and International Agreements, once approved and ratified in the manner prescribed by the Constitution, are part of the legislation of the country and abrogate any laws in conflict with them."