At least 42 people have died and another 86 have been injured by the wave of protests unleashed in mid-September in Haiti, where mobilizations have been triggered by the shortage of commodities, currency devaluation and accusations of corruption against high charges, among other issues, according to a balance of victims of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
A spokeswoman for that office, Marta Hurtado, has made the figure public and has warned that “the vast majority” of the victims had gunshot wounds. The security forces would be responsible for 19 of the deaths and among the total number of deaths there is at least one journalist.
The High Commissioner is “deeply concerned” about the evolution of the crisis and the impact it has on the basic needs of the population, with roadblocks and violent incidents that have reduced access to food, drinking water, medicines and fuel , especially outside of Port-au-Prince.
The “majority” of children have also not been able to go to class since the school year started in September and there have been cases of medical personnel unable to reach their jobs, according to Hurtado.
The spokeswoman has also expressed concern about the “closure” of judicial institutions and other public bodies, to the extent that it has meant that de facto detention is prolonged “de facto” to an “alarmingly high” number of detainees for alleged safety reasons.
STEPS TO FOLLOW
The main UN Office for Human Rights has applauded the initiation of internal investigations within the Police for the alleged abuses committed during the repression of the protests, but has requested that these investigations be carried out in a “transparent and independent” manner and conclude With an accountability.
“It is crucial that all actors take measures to support and move forward in peaceful solutions to the many grievances that have led Haitians to take to the streets repeatedly over the past 16 months,” added Hurtado, whose agency has offered to support any initiative to solve the crisis and “alleviate the suffering” of the population.
