Haiti: The role of the General Security Unit of the National Palace (Unité de sécurité générale du Palais national, USGPN); reports of abuse allegedly committed by the USGPN between 1995 and 2002; the USGPN's role in Port-au-Prince during the May 2000 elections
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 6 May 2009 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | HTI103160.FE |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Haiti: The role of the General Security Unit of the National Palace (Unité de sécurité générale du Palais national, USGPN); reports of abuse allegedly committed by the USGPN between 1995 and 2002; the USGPN's role in Port-au-Prince during the May 2000 elections, 6 May 2009, HTI103160.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4a7040ae23.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| 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. |
Role of the General Security Unit of the National Palace (Unité de sécurité générale du Palais national, USGPN)
The USGPN is a specialized unit of the Haitian National Police (Police nationale d'Haïti, PNH) (Haiti n.d.). Since 1997, the USGPN's main role has been to ensure security at the National Palace (ibid.). The USGPN's specific mission is as follows:
- to ensure the safety and security of National Palace buildings
- to ensure the safety and security of the private residences of the current president of the Republic
- to ensure the safety and security of the private residences of former presidents of the Republic
- to escort the presidential convoy when the President of the Republic must travel in a vehicle. (ibid.)
The USGPN works with the Presidential Security Unit (Unité de sécurité présidentielle, USP) to protect the president (Haiti n.d.). With the authorization of the Director General of the PNH, the USGPN may carry out other missions for various government authorities (ibid.). However, outside of their official duties, the only additional duties USPGN members may perform are to intervene when they come across a crime, and then only until [translation] "the appropriate police authority" arrives, and to assist police officers in their duties (ibid.). The USGPN, like all other PNH units, may be inspected by the general inspector (Inspection générale) of the PNH at any time (ibid.)
Reports of abuse allegedly committed by the USGPN between 1995 and 2002
Several sources report that members of the PNH committed human rights violations between 1995 and 2002, but do not state which PNH units were responsible for these acts (HRW 27 Feb. 2004; US 31 Mar. 2003; US 23 Feb 2001; US 23 Feb. 2000; AI July 1998). The following paragraphs provide information on events directly linked to the USGPN.
A 1997 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report states that in 1995 and most of 1996, specialized units of the PNH, including the Palace and Presidential Guard (USPGN), "started to operate beyond their mandates...with little or no control by [PNH] authorities" (HRW Jan. 1997, Part IV). The report notes that these specialized units have been "implicated in serious cases of human rights abuse" (ibid.). Also, the report indicates that, according to an employee of the International Civil Mission in Haiti (Mission civile internationale en Haïti, MICIVIH), between July 1995 and November 1996, at least 46 Haitians were killed and 50 others injured by regular members of the PNH or by members of its specialized units; most of the murders took place in the Port-au-Prince area (ibid., Part II). According to HRW, "[m]ost of the dead suffered [from] ... unjustified use of lethal force" (ibid., Part I). However, HRW did not mention which PNH unit the police officers who committed these acts belonged to.
In an open letter to the Superior Council of the Haitian National Police (Conseil supérieur de la Police nationale, CSPN) on 18 October 2001, the National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR) states that individuals who are arrested by the USGPN are often placed in "prolonged detention" and have to "wait months before being placed in the judicial circuit" (NCHR 18 Oct. 2001). On 22 July 2001, a hospital director who had accused the health minister of corruption was arrested by plainclothes USGPN officers (US 4 Mar. 2002; see also NCHR 18 Oct. 2001 and Signal FM Radio 24 July 2001). Several national human rights organizations described the arrest as "illegal [and] arbitrary" (US 4 Mar. 2002). The police were unable to justify this arrest (NCHR 18 Oct. 2001). The hospital director was released on 26 July 2001 without ever being formally charged (US 4 Mar. 2002).
On 9 January 2002 in Port-au-Prince, USGPN officers allegedly beat people who had come to the Interior Ministry (ministère de l'Intérieur) looking for work; on 17 January 2002, a USGPN officer allegedly beat a 17-year-old to death (Smith 4 Feb. 2003).
Following Aristide's departure in February 2004 (US Oct. 2008), members of the USGPN were fired, but they kept their weapons (Center for the Study of Human Rights 14 Jan. 2005, 37; see also Small Arms Survey Oct. 2005, 51). Some former USGPN members are reportedly "now part of the 'bandits' who target police" (Center for the Study of Human Rights 14 Jan. 2005, 37) and [translation] "who spread or fuel terror in the streets of Port-au-Prince" (Alter Presse 12 Nov. 2004).
Role of the USGPN in the May 2000 elections
Legislative, municipal and local elections were held in Haiti on 21 May 2000 (OAS 13 July 2000). Information on the USGPN's role in Port-au-Prince during these elections could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, some sources discuss the role of the PNH in related events, but do not mention which units were involved. The Canadian Foundation for the Americas (Fondation canadienne pour les Amériques, FOCAL) reports that during the election period, groups closely associated with the Lavalas party "have often benefited from the 'passive presence' of the police" during altercations with opposition groups (June 2001). However, according to the Organization of American States (OAS), on the day of the elections, "the Haitian National Police responded efficiently and professionally to situations that could have deteriorated into violence" (13 July 2000). In contrast, Haiti Democracy Project reports that on the night of 21 May 2000, PNH units were used to "steal ballots, falsify legal documents, and sabotage the elections" (Apr. 2001). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
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
Alter Presse. 12 November 2004. Marc-Arthur Fils-Aimé. "Haïti dans la violence des chimères."
Amnesty International (AI). July 1998. "Haïti – La justice se fait encore attendre."
Center for the Study of Human Rights. 14 January 2005. Thomas M. Griffin. Haiti – Human Rights Investigation: November 11-21, 2004.
Fondation canadienne pour les Amériques (FOCAL). June 2001. "Haiti After the 2000 Elections: Searching for Solutions to a Political Crisis."
Haiti. N.d. Police nationale d'Haïti (PNH). "La direction centrale de la police administrative (DCPA)."
Haiti Democracy Project. April 2001. "Haiti: The Premises of a Low-Intensity Dictatorship." (Haitipolicy.org)
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 27 February 2004. "Haiti: Recycled Soldiers and Paramilitaries on the March."
_____. January 1997. Haiti – The Human Rights Record of the Haitian National Police.
National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR). 18 October 2001. "Open Letter to the Superior Council of the Haitian National Police (CSPN)." (Haiti Support Group, HSG)
Organization of American States (OAS). 13 July 2000. "The OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Haiti: Chief of Mission Report to the OAS Permanent Council." (Haitipolicy.org)
Signal FM Radio [Port-au-Prince, in Creole]. 24 July 2001. "Highlights of Radio Signal FM News 1230 gmt 24 Jul 01." (BBC Monitoring America/Factiva)
Small Arms Survey. October 2005. Robert Muggah. "Securing Haiti's Transition: Reviewing Human Insecurity and the Prospects for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration."
Smith, Merrill. 4 February 2003. Democracy Unravelling – Political Violence in Haiti 2002. (ecoi.net)
United States (US). October 2008. Department of State. "Background Note: Haiti."
_____. 31 March 2003. Department of State. "Haiti." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002.
_____. 4 March 2002. Department of State. "Haiti." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001.
_____. 23 February 2001. Department of State. "Haiti." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000.
_____. 23 February 2000. Department of State. "Haiti." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999.
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH), Freedom House, Haitianalysis.com, Le Nouvelliste [Port-au-Prince], Radio France Internationale (RFI), Réseau national de défense des droits humains (RNDDH), United Nations – Refworld.
