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Friday, October 4, 2019 4:22:27 PM GMT+0000
Fight against Mercenaries: Haiti Police Not Permitted to Wear Masks
Defense
Politics
In a press conference Thursday, the spokesman for the National Police of Haiti's (PNH) internal affairs clarified to the public that only the anti-Drug Trafficking Brigade (BLTS) officers and SWAT teams during operations are permitted to wear masks while on duty. Police officials have been trying to respond to reports of excessive and fatal uses of force by unidentified officers speculated to be infiltrants during protests.
Divisional Commissioner and Spokesman for the Inspectorate General of the PNH (IGPNH), Jean-Claude Benjamin, made the announcment on September 16, 2019 to clarify internal regulations within the police institution following the widely condemned execution of citizen Vladimy Fede in Carrefour. It was reiterated again on October 2 after September 30 and October 1 protests resulted in 4 deaths by individuals in police uniform.
As protests for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse persist, political and civil society advocates are using the rules and regulations of the police force to identify individuals who may have infiltrated the police for the purpose of killing and terrorizing protesters.
The PNH is funded and trained by the United States. The U.S. taxpayer funded arms, uniforms and tactical gear have been uncovered in the possession of street gangs, private security for the affluent and members of the Haitian mafioso.
Fight against Mercenaries: Haiti Police Not Permitted to Wear Masks