Antoine Izmery
Antoine Izméry († September 11, 1993 in Port-au-Prince ) was a Haitian businessman and activist.
Life
Antoine Izméry, who was descended from Palestinian Christian immigrants who emigrated to Haiti around 1900, was one of the richest residents of Haiti. He was one of the most prominent supporters of the former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide , whose election campaign he co-financed. On the evening of the 1990 election, when Aristide finally won, Izméry accused former US President Jimmy Carter of attempting unfair means to secure the victory of Marc Bazin , an opponent of Aristide. He caused some confusion in the American camp when he informed former US Secretary of State Robert S. McNamara , who was also present, that he was responsible for a possible bloodbath should Bazin come to power through a rigged election.
Aristide, who was legally elected president, was overthrown in a coup on September 30, 1991 and forced into exile. Izméry then founded the KOMEVEB (Komite Mete men pou Verite Blayi), an organization whose task it was to uncover and publish the background to the coup.
On May 26, 1992, Izméry's brother Georges was killed in an attack outside Izméry's office. The perpetrator disappeared in a police station. The mourners were beaten by police officers on the day of the funeral. Antoine Izméry then wrote a complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights , which resulted in a very critical resolution by the commission.
assassination
On September 11, 1993, Antoine Izméry took part in a mass event organized by KOMEVEB, which was dedicated to the commemoration of the St. Jean Bosco massacre in 1988, in which numerous people were killed in an attack on Aristide. Izméry told an Associated Press journalist that he had been warned by police of an impending carnage. At around 6 p.m. local time, the Sacré-Cœur de Turgeau church in Port-au-Prince was surrounded by armed men in civilian clothes. Journalists present were beaten and arrested. Meanwhile, Izméry was forced outside by a group of ten men, where he was brought to his knees and shot in the head.
Prosecuting the perpetrators
In September 1995, after Aristide returned to office, 14 people, including former paramilitary leaders Louis-Jodel Chamblain and Jackson Joanis , were sentenced to life terms in a labor camp for absent death.
Chamblain then fled into exile in the Dominican Republic , Joanis in the USA . Joanis was deported back to Haiti in 2002, but fled again during a prison break shortly before Aristide's second disempowerment.
In early 2004 Chamblain and Joanis went into custody of the new regime, which they both supported. In a hasty overnight trial, both were acquitted on August 17, 2004. There was only one witness at the trial. The conduct of the procedure was sharply criticized by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International . Amnesty International criticized the fact that witnesses failed to testify out of fear for their lives, evidence had disappeared from the first trial and no attempts were made to arrest the remaining 12 defendants in the first trial.
Movie
- Rezistans - Documentary about Antoine Izméry and the resistance to the coup d'état - 1997, English, 158 min, by Katherine Kean
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Nick Coleman: Haiti Our Fault ... Star Tribune, March 7, 2004
- ^ Organization of American States: IACHR expresses concern regarding trial for the murder of haitina activist Antoine Izméry , Press release August 20, 2004
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Izméry, Antoine |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Haitian businessman and activist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 20th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 11, 1993 |
| Place of death | Port-au-Prince |