WASHINGTON, CMC:
THE INTER-AMERICAN Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has called on the interim government in Haiti to ensure the security of the population as well as create "conditions conducive to general elections".
In a report submitted to the Organisation of American States (OAS), the IACHR, chaired by Clare K. Roberts of Antigua and Barbuda, said that it had received information concerning human rights situations in the former French colony including "impunity, prolonged pre-trial detention and on going conditions of insecurity in the capital city, Port-au-Prince".
The IACHR said it was also concerned over the "continued lack of control over security by the Haitian National Police and the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) causing parts of the city to become overrun by armed gangs".
"The commission therefore implores the government and the international community to take all urgent measures necessary, consistent with applicable human rights standards, to ensure the security of the population, create conditions conducive to general elections, and assist the people of Haiti in securing a hopeful future."
