Human Rights Watch condemned an attack on the director of the Haiti office of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR).
We are extremely troubled by this brazen attack on one of Haiti's most respected human rights defenders," said Sarah DeCosse, Caribbean Researcher for Human Rights Watch. "We urge the Haitian government to conduct a swift, thorough investigation of the incident and to prosecute those found responsible."
In the attack, four assailants in a white sedan reportedly began following Espérance's vehicle as it neared the NCHR office and then sped in front of it. One gunman descended into the street and fired a machine gun at Espérance's vehicle, continuing to fire as he accelerated and passed the sedan. A fellow NCHR employee traveling with Espérance was not wounded. Espérance, who was shot in the shoulder and leg, is currently hospitalized in Port-au-Prince.
Flyers threatening human rights activists were sent to the offices of the Haitian Human Rights Platform in the past weeks. Espérance is a board member of the Platform, a coalition of Haiti's human rights organizations.
"Haiti must ensure that human rights activists can work without threat of violence." said DeCosse.
This shooting follows other recent attacks in Haiti, raising concern about a re-emergence of politically-motivated violence. On Monday morning March 1, gunmen killed opposition Senator Jean-Yvon Toussaint outside his home in Port-au-Prince. Dr. Jimmy Lalanne was gunned down at his clinic on February 27, 1999. Marie-Claude Calvin, the sister of President René Préval, was wounded and her driver killed on January 12, 1999. To date, these attacks remain unsolved.
