Human rights activists from the Dominican Republic-based National Coalition for Migration and Refugees and the United Nations are calling on the Dominican Government for a temporary reprieve of expulsions of Haitians, as the crisis in Haiti deepens and people try to escape through the closed border...

"If the Government could delay or reduce expulsions, it would be a success... an important contribution to the Haitian population," said William Charpentier, coordinator of the Coalition.

The United Nations also called on the Dominican Republic and other countries to stop expulsions, stressing that Haiti has become an extremely dangerous country.

Roberto Álvarez, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, responding to his requests told journalists that the expulsions are the result of "the application of the national security policy and that there is no other choice but to pursue them." Adding "We do this in compliance with international conventions and human rights treaties. We are not perfect. From time to time, incidents occur and we try to correct them immediately," he responded when asked about allegations of abuse of Haitians at the time of their arrest for irregular migration on the Dominican territory.

IH/ iciHaiti