Haiti: Impunity, President Preval and Farah Dessources

farah dessources

On November 15, Farah Dessources, a 20 year old first year University student was kidnapped and killed despite the payment of part of the ransom by her mother. Saturday during her funeral, a demonstration took place in Port-au-Prince, demanding that the Preval government do more to stamp out insecurity. There are very few Haitian bloggers but one seemed particularly moved by the issue, blaming the government for it. Haitians debated the issue on the many Haitian online communities and message boards.

In one post, blogger JoJo at France-based Collectif Haiti de Provence deplored (Fr) that the President and Prime Minister made more of an appearance at the Haitiano-Dominican Friendship games taking place during the weekend than at the Farah Dessources funeral and thought it symbolic of their lack of interest in solving the security issue. In another, he wrote (Fr):

La liste de ceux qui devraient comparaître devant une cour de justice est si longue qu’il faudrait plusieurs années pour un jugement équitable. Peut il exister une justice équitable contre un système qui cautionne, protège et tire profit de la douleur et la détresse des autres.

The list of those who should be accountable in a court of law is so long that we'd need many years for a fair judgment. Can there be equitable justice against a system that benefits from the pain and suffering of others?

Monsieur Le président de la République, Monsieur Le chef de la MINUSTAH, Monsieur le premier ministre, Monsieur le Directeur de la PNH, messieurs les ministres, Messieurs les sénateurs, Messieurs les députés, messieurs les fonctionnaires du gouvernement. Votre indifférence n’a d’égale que votre turpitude et n’est que le reflet de votre incapacité à diriger une nation.

Votre gouvernement est de mèche avec les kidnappeurs dont vous justifiez maladroitement les exactions par vos théories à deux balles.

Vos enfants et vos biens sont bien gardés à l’extérieur. Votre politique carotte/bâton est inefficace. Combien de récits de ce genre il vous faudra lire pour démontrer votre volonté et surtout la panoplie des solutions que vous êtes sensés, du aux postes que vous occupez, apporter à la nation ?

Mister President, Mister the Head of [UN Mission to Haiti] MINUSTAH, Mister Prime Minister, Mister the Director of the Haitian National Police, ministers, senators, deputies, government officials, your indifference only equals your turpitude and proves your inability to govern a nation.

Your government is in cahoots with the kidnappers whose excesses you justify gauchely with your shaky theories.

Your children and your property are safely tucked away abroad. Your carrot and stick strategy is inefficient. How many similar stories will you need to read about to show your will to implement the many solutions that your position summons you to bring to the nation?

On a Haitiwebs.com thread dedicated to the issue, some posters debated solutions. Titine, for example, asked (Fr): “What about the return of the Army? What are we waiting for?” Bana2166 added (Fr): “The international community (UN, France, US, Canada and others) have determined that Haiti does not need a military based on our past history with the army. Haitians want the military but the international community does not.”

Titine concluded (Fr):

La TOURISTHA et la police font tellement du bon travail (??) Cette jeune fille a ete assassine et mutile ils n'ont pas bouge pas meme le petit doigt. Haiti n'appartient plus aux haitiens a ce qu'il parait. Donnez-moi l'armee parceque Preval s'en fout pas mal du pays maintenant qu'il s'occupe de sa vie privee. Oui, l'armee, c'est ce qu'il nous faut. Vive l'armee, abas Preval et son gouvernement.

The TOURISTHA [local nickname for the MINUSTAH UN Mission] and the police are doing such good work (??) This young woman was killed and mutilated and they did not lift a finger. Haiti no longer belongs to Haitians apparently. Give me the army because Preval obviously doesn't care about the country now that he is minding his private life. Yes, the army is what we need. Cheers for the Army and jeers for Preval and his government.”

4 comments

  • La Police Nationale d’Haiti vien d’appréhender l’un des assassins de la jeune natacha farah Dessources.
    Il s’appelle Pierre Leger et a avoué sa participation à ce crime qui a suscité une énorme indignation au sein de la famille haïtienne:””Elle a été violée, elle nous a craché au visage. Je lui ai logé une balle dans son vagin…” voilà entre autres les révélations faites par Pierre Léger le 28 juin, décrivant l’horreur de la journée du 16 novembre 2006, qui a vu partir le rêve d’une jeune fille.”
    La population attend un chatiment exemplaire pour ce forcené qui ne peut rien apporté de positif au pays et à la société haitienne

  • Gros-morne, Gonaives

    I did not know of the torture and killing of Farah until I visited “Lenouvelliste.com” last night nor did I know Farah personally, but her story has brought great sadness up me and I’d also like to take this moment to offer my sincere condolences to the Dessources family.

    Although the government has obligation to ensure the safety and security of every citizen, we as citizens must also renouce criminality and put greater value on the lives of our fellow countrymen.

    The fact is no matter how large of weel prepared military or police force we might have they can never be every where at all times to protect each and every citizen.

    We as a people must be thoughtful enough to know that a society that operates according to the rule of law will provide better opportunities for all, otherwise will never progress as a country.

    I certainly hope that the government uses every tool at its disposal to bring all the criminals involved in this horandous crime to justice and send a message to would criminals that no crimes will go unpunished in our country.

  • alice b.

    Thanks for the update, Jojo. (Remerciement à Jojo.)

  • Olivier

    Believe me or not, but Farah AKA Natasha by me, was one of my close friends and my cousin so I wish that in the name of her mom and haitian community, the killers suffer, I don’t want them to die, it would too easy for them.

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