UN accommodates human rights abuses by police in Haiti
5/4/05
35.jpg
The U.N. leaves Bel-Air and abandons it residents to sharpshooters of the Haitian police as if it is "business as usual." The Haitian police began pointing their weapons, meant to kill specific targets, at residents of the neighborhood. The presence of a news camera makes them angry but keeps them from shooting at the population. Given that the U.N. and the international community have tolerated the abuses of the Haitian police thus far, journalists and photographers have to wonder how long it will be before they become victims of trigger-happy Haitian policemen or made deliberate targets? The presence of journalists naturally places constraints upon the behavior of the police and, if their reactions on May 4 are any indicator, they are not happy about it.
