On Friday, French Ambassador José Gomez received representatives of several Haitian human rights organizations who presented the diplomat in detail, their main concerns, including their concern over the rise of gang violence, the need to find answers to the PetroCaribe file and their dissatisfaction with the way justice works in Haiti.

In summary, Ambassador José Gomez, expressed his positions on the following points :

Insecurity and the development of gang activity :

The Ambassador expressed deep sadness at the high number of innocent victims caused by the clashes between the gangs. He praised the police operations launched against criminal groups. He showed his support for the Haitian Police and deplored the cowardly assassinations that affected his agents.

The La Saline massacre :

Gomez stressed that all the light needed to be shed on these terrible events and hoped that the ongoing investigation will determine the responsibilities and punish the guilty parties and the sponsors https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-27679-icihaiti-massacre-of-la-saline-dcpj-investigation-implicates-2-high-officials-of-the-state.html He also regretted that nearly 6 months after these events the report prepared by the United Nations has still not been made public.

PetroCaribe :

The Ambassador recalled that the Petrocaribe case constituted an intolerable abuse committed against the Haitian people. He hoped that the inquiry would make it possible to determine all the responsibilities and to put an end to unacceptable and dangerous impunity for the Haitian democracy.

Women's Rights :

José Gomez said the urgency in this area was to confirm in fact, the quota of 30% of women provided in the bill on the upcoming parliamentary elections. Reiterating that all its cooperation activities, France was working to strengthen women's rights and their empowerment.

Finally, the Ambassador expressed his full support for human rights activists and strongly condemned the threats addressed to them.

IH/ iciHaiti