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WORLD NEWS Friday 29 January 2021

Strikes, violence overwhelm Haiti’s crumbling judiciary

By EVENS SANON and system. On a recent after-
DÁNICA COTO noon, more than a dozen
Associated Press people stood outside the
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) National Penitentiary, col-
— A warning from a well- orful plastic bags lying at
known judge in Haiti crack- their feet holding food for
led recently over the radio: their loved ones inside.
“Don’t let them arrest you, Lina André had traveled
because you don’t know for more than an hour to
when you will be released see her boyfriend, who
from prison.” has been incarcerated for
Haiti’s justice system has 10 years but hasn’t seen
long been dysfunctional. a judge since he was ar-
But in recent years delayed rested on suspicion of kill-
judicial appointments, a ing a man. Haiti is among
spike in violence and pro- the top 10 countries in the
tests by judges and court world most affected by
clerks demanding higher prolonged pretrial deten-
salaries and better work- tion, with people often im-
ing conditions have over- prisoned for more than a
whelmed a system in which decade as they await a
some 80% of inmates are judicial hearing, according
being held with no trial to the U.N.
amid a rise in what activists Lina André looks out from the entrance of the National Penitentiary where she waits to deliver Activists expect the situa-
say are illegal and arbitrary food for her boyfriend who is incarcerated there, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. tion to worsen, given the
Associated Press
preventive detentions. increase in violence and
“These conditions are so week. Overall, some 11,000 “The system is on its knees,” echoed by Judge Jean Wil- protests and a decree that
unacceptable that they inmates are being held in said Marie-Yolène Gilles, ner Morin last month during President Jovenel Moïse re-
constitute a violation of prisons across Haiti, includ- executive director of the a radio news program in cently approved that clas-
the prohibition of cruel, in- ing the National Peniten- human rights group Fon- which he warned that peo- sifies certain crimes as ter-
humane and degrading tiary in the capital of Port- dasyon Je Klere. “It has ple should avoid being ar- rorism, including robbery,
treatment,” the United Na- au-Prince, which was built been crippled for a year rested as he talked about arson and blocking public
tions Integrated Office in for 800 prisoners but holds now.” Haiti’s problems, including roads, common events dur-
Haiti said in a statement this an estimated 3,800. Those concerns were the troubles in the justice ing protests. q

Brazil to end military-led program against Amazon logging

By DIANE JEANTET Since Brazil’s President Jair be responsible for monitor- ment, particularly in the engagement from the pri-
Associated Press Bolsonaro took office, do- ing the country’s vast rain- case of the Amazon, will vate sector,” he said.q
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — mestic and international forest, Mourão said. only succeed with greater
Brazil’s ongoing military- concern has grown over “We have been working
led operation to curb ille- the president’s calls for on a plan … for our envi-
gal deforestation and fires economic development ronmental agencies to re-
in the Amazon rainforest in the Amazon. sume, at the best of their
will end April 30, Vice Presi- His critics have said the capacity, operations and
dent Hamilton Mourão military operation has incursions into the forest,”
said at the World Econom- failed to clamp down on he said.
ic Forum on Wednesday. rampant illegal logging. An AP investigation last
Mourão defended the Government data showed year found that the num-
success of Operation that just over 11,000 square ber of fines issued for envi-
Green Brazil 2, which was kilometers of forest disap- ronmental crimes had de-
launched last May and peared between July 2019 creased significantly in re-
saw deployment of thou- and August 2020, up 9.5% cent years, and especially
sands of soldiers across the compared to the previous under Bolsonaro.
Amazon. The vice presi- year and the most since Mourão on Wednesday
dent leads the govern- 2008. also called for “vital” pri-
ment’s Amazon Council to Conclusion of the program vate and international in- A fire rages through the Amazon rainforest in Altamira, Brazil,
on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019.
fight deforestation in the means environmental vestments in the region. Associated Press
region. agencies will once again “Sustainable develop-