PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Haitian officers "deliberately and without justification" fired upon and killed at least 12 detainees, an inquiry into a January prison uprising determined.
In its report, an independent commission said it hoped for official and public condemnation of the shootings, which were initially covered up by the local authorities in Les Cayes, The New York Times reported Friday.
A Times investigation of the killings spurred the creation of the commission and the newspaper got a copy of the report this week. The government did not release the report, which was delivered to Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive Sept. 2.
Among other things, the report on the Jan. 19 uprising said Haitian officers opened fire "deliberately and without justification," using "inappropriate, abusive and disproportionate force" against unarmed inmates who didn't presented an immediate threat.
The commission's report said most of the dead were summarily executed and at least 14 prisoners were wounded in what amounted to "grave violations of human rights".
UPI
