Haiti High Court Voids Massacre Convictions

In a move called a setback for Haiti’s judicial system, the Supreme Court has overturned the convictions of military leaders tried in a 1994 massacre of loyalists of the then-exiled president.

In a case known as Raboteau after the seaside slum in Gonaives where the killings took place, Haiti’s highest court voided murder convictions of dozens of military and paramilitary officers, many of whom had fled and were tried in absentia in 2000. The May 3 ruling was made available to Reuters on Tuesday.

The trial was considered a milestone for Haiti in bringing to justice an elite group accused of human rights abuses during the military rule that followed the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the early 1990s. (Aristide, who later returned to power, was forced from office again in 2004 and returned to exile.)

Lawyers said as many as 15 people were killed when gunmen attacked the slum before sunrise on April 22, 1994. Supporters of the president were routinely jailed or killed at that time.

The high court ruled that the trial court did not have the authority to try the 53 defendants, lawyers said.

Critics called the decision a severe setback for Haiti’s judicial system. The government denied meddling in the case.

In November 2000, a Haitian court sentenced a former coup leader and 36 military officers and associates to life in prison for the massacre. A week earlier, 16 soldiers and accomplices had been found guilty for their roles.