The Miami Herald
July 22, 1998

Haiti rights violations criticized

LONDON -- (AFP) -- Amnesty International said that human rights violations in Haiti "continue to flourish'' despite the restoration of democracy four years ago, in a new report on the country published today.

"Although the scale of serious human rights violations is much lower than under the military government, Haiti is still struggling precariously to consolidate the gains that have been made,'' the human rights organization said.

Amnesty said that torture and ill-treatment, extrajudicial executions and killings in suspicious circumstances "are still cause for serious concern.''

Since 1994, it said, little progress has been made in bringing those guilty of old and new human rights violations to justice.

"The building of the strong institutions needed for a society in which the protection of human rights is guaranteed is simply taking too long,'' Amnesty said.