For months prior to helping restore Aristide to power, U.S. policy consisted of downplaying the human rights crisis in Haiti and turning back refugees fleeing by sea.99 On April 12, 1994, for example, a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince to Secretary of State Warren Christopher cast doubt on rising reports of human rights abuses, particularly reports of rape, and sought to discredit the work of human rights organizations monitoring the situation in Haiti.100 Then, in response to criticism from human rightsgroups, members of Congress, and the American civil rights community, President Clinton imposed sanctions against the Cédras regime, began screening refugees to determine their eligibility for political asylum, and acknowledged the severity of the human rights abuses in Haiti.
99 For a comprehensive analysis of U.S. foreign policy in Haiti, see Human Rights Watch/Americas and National Coalition for Haitian Refugees, Terror Prevails in Haiti.
100 Regarding rape, the cable read: "We are, frankly, suspicious of the sudden, high number of reported rapes, particularly in this culture, occurring at the same time that Aristide activists seek to draw a comparison between Haiti and Bosnia." The cablegram, written by human rights officer Ellen Cosgrove, approved by Ambassador William Swing and reviewed by in-country processing Refugee Coordinator Luis Moreno, was leaked to the U.S. press in early May.
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