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$19 Million Judgment Upheld Against Former Haitian CIA Agent and Death Squad Leader
Toto Constant Liable for Rape, Other Torture, Attempted Killing (NEW YORK, December 1, 2009). Today, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a $19 million judgment against Emmanuel “Toto” Constant, the former leader of Haiti’s notorious death squad known as FRAPH, concluding “there is no basis on which to challenge the judgment of the district […]
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Haitian Death Squad Leader Emmanuel Constant Sentenced in New York
Brian Concannon, Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti Haitian death squad leader Emmanuel Toto Constant was sentenced today in Kings County Supreme Court in New York, by Judge Abraham Gerges, on mortgage fraud charges. According to the Sentencing Memorandum, the full sentence should be between 12 and 37 years. It is not yet clear […]
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National Lawyers Guild Applauds Inter-American Court Decision Upholding the Human Rights of Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune
Urges Rapid Compliance With Judgment The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) welcomes the recent decision from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) finding that the State of Haiti has violated 11 provisions of the American Convention on Human Rights by illegally imprisoning former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune for two years and by continuing to […]
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National Lawyers Guild Congratulates Raboteau Massacre Victims on Historic Victory
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) congratulates the victims of the Raboteau Massacre on their recent victory after a 14-year struggle in the courts of Haiti and the United States. On May 16, the victims received over $400,000 in court-awarded compensation. NLG President Marjorie Cohn noted that “the Raboteau victims have provided all of us a […]
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Disturbing the Peace, in Haiti and New Orleans
Brian Concannon Gerard Jean-Juste, a Catholic priest from Haiti, just does not know when to shut up. In the 1970’s he saw his people starved and persecuted while Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier lived in opulence, so he organized for change. The Duvalier regime responded as dictatorships do, and kicked him out of the country. When […]
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Observations from the hearing of Father Gerard Jean-Juste
by Ollie Ruth Jefferson, Attorney at Law PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI – I arrived at the Palace of Justice with Father Gerard Jean-Juste’s lead attorney, Mario Joseph, and three other observers, approximately 15 minutes prior to the hearing. The UN presence was palpable, evident by their blue helmets, with possibly 20 stationed outside the front […]
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Baseless Arrests Continue in Haiti
Brian Concannon Rev. Gérard Jean-Juste’s struggles with Haiti’s criminal justice system have been a good gauge of the system’s health for the last three years. The latest episode, last month, showed that rule of law is alive in Haiti — if not exactly kicking. “Fr. Gerry,” a Catholic priest well-known as an advocate for South […]
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Haitian Death Squad Leader’s Plea Thrown Out
DECISION TO TOSS PLEA MADE AFTER CJA SUBMITTED EVIDENCE DETAILING EMMANUEL CONSTANT’S RECORD OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES (Brooklyn, NY: May 22, 2007): Today, the judge in the mortgage fraud case of former Haitian death-squad leader Emmanuel “Toto” Constant dropped Constant’s plea bargain and ordered him to stand trial. If convicted, Constant could now face five […]
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National Lawyers Guild Calls on Haiti’s Elected Government to Release Political Prisoners Remaining From the Latortue Dictatorship
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) urges Haiti’s Constitutional Government, especially President René Préval and Minister of Justice René Magloire, to immediately release all of the political prisoners remaining from the unconstitutional regime of Prime Minister Gérard Latortue (2004-2006). Almost all of the political prisoners were arrested illegally, all have been in jail without trial longer […]
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Haitian Death Squad Leader Ordered to Pay $19 Million to Torture Survivors
Moira Feeney, Center for Justice and Accountability Emmanuel “Toto” Constant, the former leader of Haiti’s notorious death squad known as FRAPH, has been ordered to pay $19 damages to three women who survived rape, other torture, and attempted killing committed by paramilitary forces under his command. The case marks the first time that anyone has […]
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