29990: Potemaksonje (News) Author of study on Haiti cleared of bias by journal (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

          From: Potemaksonje

Author of study on Haiti cleared of bias by journalReport criticizes 
Canadian-led UN effort
                                                                                                                                                                                                  MARINA 
JIMÉNEZ

                                                                   The Lancet, 
a prestigious British medical journal, has cleared the author of a study on 
Haiti of systemic bias, and reaffirmed the findings of her report.
Athena Kolbe's report concluded that widespread human-rights violations in 
Haiti have occurred, despite the presence of a Canadian-led United Nations 
police force and Brazilian-led peacekeeping mission.
 The Lancet investigation was launched after a British-based Haiti Support 
Group complained she wasn't objective.
 Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, noted that Ms. Kolbe had an "undeclared 
conflict of interest" for failing to disclose to its readers that she had 
worked as a volunteer in 1995 at an orphanage founded by former president 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and as a journalist under the name of Lyn Duff.
However, Mr. Horton said there was no evidence of bias in the study's findings, 
and that much of the debate in this case was "aimed at exploiting historical 
divisions" in Haiti.
 "That process has obscured the real issue -- the welfare of civilians in Haiti 
-- to whom attention should now turn," he said.
 Ms. Kolbe's study, co-authored with Royce Hutson, an assistant professor at 
Detroit's Wayne State University, found that 8,000 Haitians have been slain and 
35,000 women and girls raped since the ousting of Mr. Aristide in early 2004. 
The perpetrators were Haiti's National Police, members of the disbanded army, 
common criminals, armed anti-Lavalas (Mr. Aristide's political party) groups 
and in some cases, members of the UN peacekeeping mission. A small number were 
Lavalas.
 Ms. Kolbe said that according to local Haitians, Canadian peacekeepers made 
death threats against them during house raids, and sexual advances against 
women while they were drunk and off-duty.
 "Now that The Lancet study has reaffirmed our findings, I hope that groups 
criticized for human-rights violations will be investigated and held 
accountable," said Ms. Kolbe, who is working on her master's degree at Wayne 
State's school of social work.
 In one alleged incident, a resident of Delmas, on the outskirts of 
Port-au-Prince, said Canadian troops raided his house and threatened to kill 
him if he didn't give them names of Aristide supporters.
 In another alleged incident, a woman said she was grabbed by a drunk, off-duty 
Canadian soldier while out with friends near a base in the capital. She claims 
he threatened her with sexual attack.
 The Canadian military briefly investigated the allegations, but couldn't 
substantiate them because respondents were anonymous.
 Yves Engler, with Haiti Action Montreal, a solidarity group, said The Lancet's 
reaffirmation of the study's findings underscore the massive human-rights 
violations that occurred after Mr. Aristide left office.
 "This study reaffirms the indictment of Canada's foreign policy in Haiti. 
Canada helped to overthrow the government and now the human-rights situation 
has worsened," he said.
 Mr. Aristide was ousted on Feb. 29, 2004, after a rebellion of thugs and 
ex-soldiers forced him out. He argues the United States and France forced him 
into exile.


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