On July 17, 2015, our clients David Boniface, Nissage Martyr and Juders Ysemé requested that the Inter-American Commission issue precautionary measures to ensure their safety in light of urgent risks posed by Jean Morose Viliena, a former mayor of Les Irois, and the Haitian militia KOREGA. This request reported numerous violations of the beneficiaries’ rights, including the extrajudicial killing of Boniface’s brother, the torture and attempted assassination of Martyr and Ysemé and the mass arson of homes in our clients’ hometown of Les Irois.
On July 28, 2015, the Commission granted this request in Resolution 26/2015, and recommended that the State of Haiti adopt measures to preserve the life and personal safety of Boniface, Martyr, and Ysemé and their families. The Resolution recommended that the State adopt measures such that the beneficiaries can carry out their activities as defenders of human rights without harassment; create an agreement on these measures to be adopted with the beneficiaries; and provide information on actions taken to investigate the allegations that led to the precautionary measures. To our knowledge, the State of Haiti took no action following this Resolution.
On August 30, 2019, CJA submitted an additional letter to the Commission on behalf of our clients. This letter informed the Commission that because Haiti had not taken any steps to protect the life and personal safety of our clients, the threats against our clients have reached a crisis point. The letter alerted the Commission to the protective order issued by the United States District Court on August 8, 2019, which recognized the ongoing threat to our clients. CJA requested that the Commission reiterate to the State of Haiti the precautionary measures ordered in Resolution 26/2015, including adopting the necessary measures to preserve the life and personal safety of our clients. As a result of CJA’s letter, the Commission sought out additional information from the government of Haiti, which to date has yet to be submitted.
In October 2021, CJA filed a request to the Commission seeking a hearing to review the status of the precautionary measures. The request noted the ongoing threats to our clients’ safety and the continued failure of the Haitian government to implement the precautionary measures ordered by the Commission. The Commission granted the request and held a convening in December 2021, with a subsequent convening in July 2022. CJA filed updates to the Commission ahead of each of these hearings.
Pleadings
August 2019 IACHR Update
October 2021 IACHR Hearing Request
May 2022 Update to IACHR
Related Resources
July 2015 Request for Preventive Measures
July 2015 IACHR Resloution
