Haiti: The group known as the "attachés," including information on members and any abuses they have committed
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 16 February 2009 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HTI103052.FE |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Haiti: The group known as the "attachés," including information on members and any abuses they have committed, 16 February 2009, HTI103052.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4a70409c1e.html [accessed 13 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the Knowledge and Freedom Foundation (Fondation connaissance et liberté, FOKAL), a Haitian non-governmental organization that promotes education and development in Haiti (Friends of FOKAL n.d.), the "attachés" served as informants for successive governments that came to power after the fall of the dictatorship in Haiti in 1986 (FOKAL 31 Dec. 2008). The FOKAL Representative stated that the "attachés" were [translation] "sorts of mercenaries" who worked for the government and benefited from [translation] "impunity for the abuses" they committed (ibid.).
In correspondence dated 7 January 2009, a representative of the National Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (Commission épiscopale nationale justice et paix), a Haitian pastoral institution (Commission épiscopale n.d.), stated that, in his opinion, the term "attaché" was used to designate [translation] "paramilitary groups" during the military regime of 1991 to 1994. According to him, [translation] "the abuses of power by the attachés were clearly legion as they were supported by and acting on behalf of the government in power" (ibid. 7 Jan. 2009).
In correspondence dated 8 January 2009, a representative of the National Human Rights Defense Network (Réseau national de défense des droits humains, RNDDH), a non-governmental organization in Haiti (RNDDH n.d), provided the following information:
[Translation]
There were Lavalas attachés and gangs under the Aristide regime (2000 to 2004). The attachés were present throughout the civil service, parliament, the judiciary, and the Haitian National Police (Police nationale d'Haïti, PNH) stations and substations. They were essentially a paramilitary group, even though some of them were former members of the military and the police. Their objective was to "protect" the Lavalas regime by intervening where the PNH could not. They operated day and night.... They intimidated people and went after anyone who did not agree with the Lavalas regime. They were outlaws who wielded the power of life and death.
Information on the current situation of the "attachés" could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, additional information on the "attachés" can be found in Response HTI42140 of 30 October 2003, which is reproduced below with minor modifications.
A 2000 news report refers to former attachés "biding their time in wealthy suburbs that overlook the slums" while the United States military presence established in Haiti the late-1990s wound down and its forces prepared to leave the country (Manchester Guardian Weekly 19 Jan. 2000).
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Resource Information Center published a brief report that provides an additional description of the attachés (US 30 Apr. 2002). According to the report, attachés were "attached" to army units, with many attachés being recruited by army Section Chiefs to help maintain control in remote rural areas (ibid.). The report states that attachés were "quasi-official" helpers of military units, with some of them receiving formal military training and guns, while others were informants or "simply had military protection of their rackets" (ibid.). Finally, the report states that, in practice, the term attaché was used to describe "any civilian who collaborated with the military" (ibid.).
An August 2003 report from the Haitian radio station Métropole quotes a source as claiming to have deserted the police because of the presence and actions of attachés at his station in Delmas (Radio Métropole 11 Aug. 2003). The source claims that attachés exercised authority over the policemen and committed a range of abuses, from arrests to theft and killing of individuals (ibid.). The attachés reportedly derived their power from the support of higher authorities, including the head of the local police station and the ruling Lavalas party, bore Interior Ministry authorization cards and had a "police card" issued by Emmanuel Mompremier, Police Superintendent (ibid.).
A report from another Haitian radio station refers to threats alleged to have been made against radio reporters in Mirebalais (Radio Vision 2000 19 Sept. 2003). The report states that several journalists have been threatened by armed persons, or "police attachés," led by Josaphat Civil and Jean Gracia Legerme, Police Superintendent and Police Inspector respectively (ibid.). The report adds that some journalists have gone into hiding since being targeted, because of the above-named police authorities' perception that their reporting was detrimental to the police (ibid.). In regard to the attachés, the source quotes a journalist as saying that "police attachés do what they like at the police station," while a correspondent from a pro-Lavalas radio station is quoted as saying that "the police attachés are more powerful than the policemen" (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Commission épiscopale nationale justice et paix. 7 January 2009. Correspondence from a representative.
_____. N.d. Presentation. "À propos de la Commission justice et paix."
Fondation connaissance et liberté (FOKAL). 31 December 2008. Correspondence from a representative.
Friends of FOKAL. N.d. "What is FOKAL."
Manchester Guardian Weekly. 19 January 2000. Ed Vulliamy. "US Quits Troubled Haiti." (NEXIS)
Réseau national de défense des droits humains (RNDDH). 9 January 2009. Correspondence from a representative.
_____. N.d. "Présentation du RNDDH."
Radio Métropole [Port-au-Prince, in French]. 11 August 2003. "Haiti: Further Report on Police Deserter's Allegations of 'Attaches' Atrocities." (BBC Monitoring 13 Aug. 2003 / Dialog)
Radio Vision 2000 [Port-au-Prince, in French]. 19 September 2003. "Haiti: Journalists in Mirebalais Denounce Persecution by Police." (BBC Monitoring 20 Sept. 2003 / Dialog)
United States (US). 30 April 2002. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Resource Information Centre, Washington, DC. "Haiti: Information on Risks and Criminal Charges Faced by Former Military and Police Upon Return to Haiti."
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: Agence France-Presse (AFP), AlterPresse [Haiti], Amnesty International (AI), Associated Press (AP), Haiti-Info.com, Haiti Press Network, Human Rights Watch (HRW), United Nations.
