Canada’s cancellation of the 2021 Alaska cruise ship season due to the coronavirus pandemic has angered the U.S. state’s politicians and rattled the tourism industry in both countries. Those on the ground in both Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia are dealing with the fallout.Citing continuing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Transportation Ministry has extended the prohibition of any passenger cruise vessels carrying over 100 people between Canada and Alaska. The order extends through February 2022. 
 
In a terse statement, Alaska’s U.S. congressional delegation complained that the decision was made arbitrarily by Canada with no consultation or advance notice. The statement, from the two U.S. senators and the state’s only representative, also says it was made without any consideration for Alaska or the state’s economy.   FILE – The Grand Princess cruise ship in Gastineau Channel in Juneau, Alaska, May 30, 2018.According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, in 2019 the state welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors who arrived on cruise ships, comprising 60 percent of the state’s summer visitors. 
 
The association’s CEO, Sarah Leonard, is urging a temporary waiver to the U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act to allow cruise ships to sail from American ports, like Seattle, directly to Alaska. Adopted in 1886, the act still prohibits cruise ships from sailing directly between American ports, forcing Alaska-bound vessels to either start from or stop in Canada. “We’ve long advocated since the beginning of the pandemic for a potential temporary waiver of that federal legislation, which would again potentially allow large ship cruise passengers or large ship cruise operations to travel to Alaska,” she said.  
 
Vancouver, British Columbia, is the principal starting point for most cruise ships heading to ports of call in Alaska, with nearby Seattle providing competition. According to the Port of Vancouver, 2019 was a record-breaking year with more than 288 cruise ship visits, a 22 percent increase from the previous year.
 
Walt Judas is the CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia.He is concerned a temporary waiver to the Passenger Vessel Services Act might become permanent to the detriment of British Columbia’s tourism industry. “Once you set a precedent like that, even if only on a temporary basis, who’s to stop a lobby from making that permanent? And so that would be a big concern, if you start to sail from, say, Alaska to Seattle, and vice versa, and you cut out the Canadian ports. Now, you’ve lost a huge amount of business for the visitor economy. And for the economy. In general, we’re talking more than $2 billion [Canadian] in economic impact,” said Judas.  
 
The Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates each ship’s visit brings at least $2.2 million in economic benefits, including Vancouver hotel bookings before and after cruises. FILE – The Carnival Spirit cruise ship sits docked at Canada Place as a seabus (R) commuter boat makes its way across the inner harbor in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sept.17, 2008. 
Judas is still hoping, with enough pressure on the Canadian government and positive development in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, that there might be a way to salvage at least a portion of the cruise ship season this year.   
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The arrival of U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House has ushered in hopes for a new approach towards one of the thorniest foreign policy questions – how to restore democracy in Venezuela. As the U.S seeks to rebuild ties with European allies that became distanced during the presidency of Donald Trump, analysts say Venezuela will be one of many tests of this new relationship.In Madrid, the left-wing government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has cheered Biden and what it hopes will be his fresh approach to relations with a region that both nations consider their backyard. Because of its historical ties to Latin America, Spain has been at the forefront of European efforts to negotiate with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in order to push for democratic change. During the Trump era, talk in Washington of using military clashed with the EU strategy of seeking to force change through sanctions while maintaining a peaceful dialogue with both the Maduro government and opposition groups. FILE – Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez embraces a person after participating in a popular consultation launched by opposition leader Juan Guaido to decline Venezuela’s Dec. 6 parliamentary election, in Bogota, Colombia Dec. 12, 2020.White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently laid out the new U.S. government’s approach to the political crisis in Venezuela.The Biden administration “will focus on addressing the humanitarian situation, providing support to Venezuelan people and reinvigorating multilateral diplomacy to press for a democratic outcome and pursue individuals involved in corruption, human rights abuses,” she said.Worsening political situationIn Venezuela, meanwhile, the political situation worsened at the end of 2020 after legislative elections in December were criticized by the opposition and the EU as lacking legitimacy. Venezuela is mired in a deep institutional crisis. The Maduro government exercises power without international credibility but faces a divided opposition which has no clear road map for how to wrestle control of the nation. The economic situation for 30 million Venezuelans is even more volatile, with many barely able to cover basic needs such as food, health and access to public services. The International Monetary Fund expects inflation to rise by 6,500% this year. Despite the growing convergence on policy, Washington and its European allies disagree on how to deal with the Venezuelan opposition. Unlike the U.S., Brussels has refused to recognize Juan Guiadó as the de-facto president of Venezuela. Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya said this week the EU supported the Venezuelan opposition movement and called for a “humanitarian response” as well as a “dialogue between all political forces and social actors” within the country. However, she said that the opposition movement must seek more “unity and strength.”  In a signal that Madrid aligns itself with Biden’s foreign policy, Gonzalez Laya added: “I listened carefully to the statements of the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, where he clearly explained that the strategy followed in recent years had not worked and that it and that it was necessary to work with all U.S. allies to promote a change in Venezuela and that is where Spain will be of course.” FILE – Secretary of State Antony Blinken.The decision not to recognize Guaidó as interim president angered some elements of the Venezuelan opposition. Isadora Zubillaga, deputy foreign minister in Guaido’s interim government, described the EU’s position as “muddled” in a Politico article. Sanctions may become aligned  Analysts said that while Biden has indicated he wants to pursue a peaceful resolution of the Venezuelan situation, he remains committed to sanctions. Carlos Malamud, an analyst who specializes in Latin America at the Real Elcano Institute, a Madrid think tank, believes the U.S. sanctions policy towards Venezuela will change. “I think they may become more aligned towards the European Union which maintains committed to collective sanctions,” he told VOA in an interview.The sanctions blacklist on Venezuela may be expanded, the EU said recently, warning Maduro against further crackdowns on the opposition. Brussels placed an arms embargo on Venezuela, froze certain assets and imposed a travel ban on 36 people aligned to the Maduro government. Geoff Ramsey, director for Venezuela at WOLA: Advocacy for Human Rights in the Americas, expects Biden to use a “carrot and the stick” strategy with Maduro’s government. “Moving forward, it’s very likely we’ll see a clearer emphasis on negotiations leading to free and fair elections,” he told VOA. “None of this means Biden will let up the pressure. The president has been quite clear that he sees sanctions as a valid tool for free, fair and credible elections in Venezuela and is not going to lift U.S. sanctions with nothing in exchange.”
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The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will work to identify the most needy migrants waiting in Mexico and help them complete paperwork to pursue asylum claims in the United States, a U.S. official told VOA.Mirroring the UNHCR’s role in facilitating refugee resettlements around the world, the U.N. agency will work with the Biden administration to address the plight of tens of thousands of asylum-seekers the former Trump administration forced to remain in Mexico while awaiting U.S. immigration court dates under an initiative known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or the “remain in Mexico” policy.”UNHCR is working to select the most vulnerable people or those who have more time in the MPP program to cross [into the United States],” Roberta Jacobson, coordinator for the southwest border on the White House National Security Council, told VOA.The Biden administration, which has moved to end MPP, is expected to begin processing asylum claims February 19.There are approximately 25,000 migrants with active MPP cases.UNHCR screening of asylum seekers is expected to reduce the need to detain migrants who are allowed to enter the United States. Instead, most will be permitted to stay with sponsors or family members already in the U.S.“We don’t have in mind detaining the majority of these persons,” Jacobson said. “We are going to start with a very small number to ensure that everything works well.”Despite the UNHCR’s assistance, the United States will continue to decide who ultimately is granted asylum and allowed to legally remain in the country.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stressed that the policy shift does not mean the border is “opening for people to migrate irregularly to the United States.”DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the initiative shows the administration’s commitment to immigration reform, but added that, due to capacity constraints at the U.S.-Mexico border exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, change will take time.“Individuals who are not eligible under this initial phase should wait for further instructions and not travel to the border,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “Due to the current pandemic, restrictions at the border remain in place and will be enforced.”President Joe Biden suspended MPP within days of his inauguration last month. Until this week, it was unclear what would replace it and when the new policy would go into effect.”This new process applies to individuals who were returned to Mexico under the MPP program and have cases pending before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR),” DHS said in a recent press release. “Individuals outside of the United States who were not returned to Mexico under MPP or who do not have active immigration court cases will not be considered for participation in this program and should await further instructions.”A migrant puts on her shoes after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn herself in to a U.S. Border Patrol agent to request for asylum in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 8, 2021.The former Trump administration launched MPP in 2019 to deter mass migration to America’s southern border and ease overcrowding at U.S. detention facilities. The Trump White House defended the policy as both necessary and humane in that it persuaded many migrants not to make an arduous and dangerous journey northward.Backers of the program called MPP a success.“MPP was a game changer,” said Lora Ries, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank based in Washington. “And it was because migrants learned that just claiming fear wasn’t the golden ticket to get into the U.S.”Immigrant rights groups contend the policy forced many migrants into makeshift camps in northern Mexico where they endured hunger, disease and threats to their physical safety from criminal gangs.Human Rights First reported that migrants have been kidnapped, tortured, and sexually assaulted by cartels that operate along the U.S.-Mexico border.Last week, the Biden administration indicated that migrants will need to register with international organizations online or over the phone and then await instructions.U.S. officials said migrants will be tested for COVID-19 before being allowed to enter the United States and will be required to wear face masks and comply with social distancing guidelines. Jorge Agobian contributed to this story.
 
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Colombia is set to begin immunizations against COVID-19 after receiving its first shipment of vaccines on Monday. President Ivan Duque and his health minister accepted the first 50,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and said frontline health care workers and the elderly will be the first to get their shots. Colombia has a contract to buy 10 million doses from Pfizer and it expects to soon receive 1.6 million doses from other laboratories. The government says it intends to vaccinate 35 million people this year, including hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. Colombia is one of the last countries in Latin America to start vaccinations, behind Ecuador, Panama and Chile. President Duque said his administration was hesitant to start immunizations until it had assurance of getting a steady supply of vaccine to battle the novel coronavirus.  The president also said the arrival of vaccines does not end the use of masks and social distancing. Colombia has more than 2,198,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 57,786 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center.  
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Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti said late Monday he is angry and disappointed that 487 people, including former ministers Pilar Mazzetti (Health) and Elizabeth Astete (Foreign Affairs) used their government positions to get vaccinated against COVID-19 outside of the clinical trials. Franciso said in a televised address that they were immunized with the Sinopharm vaccines, which came separately as a complement to those used in clinical trials in Peru. The Peruvian leader blasted the government officials on the list provided by Cayetano Heredia University, saying they failed to fulfill their duty as public servants and failed to show loyalty to the President of the Council of Ministers and himself. Franciso said the list will be sent to the prosecutors and the investigation commission formed by Health Minister Oscar Ugarte to determine the next actions to be taken. Mr.Sagasti said the incident will not impact the country’s effort to secure more vaccines. Peru has one of the highest COVID-19 tallies in Latin America, with more than 1,235,000 confirmed infections and 43,703 deaths, according to Johns Hopkin University Covid Resource Center. 
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After a weeklong bus ride from Honduras, Isabel Osorio Medina arrived in northern Mexico with the hope President Joe Biden would make it easier for people like him to get into the United States.
“It seems the new president wants to help migrants,” Osorio said as he got ready to check in to a cheap hotel in downtown Tijuana before heading to the U.S. “They’re saying he is going to help, but I don’t know for sure how much is true or not.”
The 63-year-old is among thousands of people who have come to the U.S.-Mexico border with the hope they will be able to ask for asylum and make their way into the U.S. now that former President Donald Trump is no longer in office.  
While Biden has taken some major steps in his first weeks in office to reverse Trump’s hardline immigration policies, his administration has not lifted some of the most significant barriers to asylum-seekers.  
In fact, it’s discouraging people from coming to the country, hoping to avoid what happened under both Trump and former President Barack Obama — border agents getting overwhelmed by migrants, including many Central Americans with children.
“Now is not the time to come,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a recent briefing, “and the vast majority of people will be turned away.”  
Secretary of State Antony Blinken struck a similar tone on Feb. 6 as he announced official steps to end Trump-era agreements with Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala that required many asylum-seekers to seek refuge in one of those countries instead of the U.S.  
“To be clear, these actions do not mean that the U.S. border is open,” Blinken said. “While we are committed to expanding legal pathways for protection and opportunity here and in the region, the United States is a country with borders and laws that must be enforced.”  
That message hasn’t reached everyone.  
More people have been arriving at an encampment in Matamoros, Mexico, a dangerous city just south of the Texas border where hundreds of asylum-seekers have been waiting under Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program.  
It’s possible even more may come after the Biden administration announced Friday that it would slowly allow an estimated 25,000 people to enter the U.S. as their cases are reviewed. The first wave is expected Feb. 19.
Walter Valenzuela, a 37-year-old Honduran, said he had been waiting in Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, for months for a chance to either seek asylum or risk an illegal crossing.
For years, asylum-seekers who met the initial threshold of demonstrating a “credible fear” of persecution in their homeland could generally stay in the U.S. until an immigration judge decided whether they qualified for permanent residency, which can take years.  
Trump administration officials believed many asylum claims were fraudulent or lacked merit, submitted by people simply looking to remain in the U.S. But the issue is murky as tens of thousands flee violent gangs, natural disasters and political upheaval.
The Biden administration has signed several executive orders on immigration, including allowing in more refugees and establishing a task force to find the parents of about 600 children who were separated under Trump and still haven’t been reunited.
But it hasn’t ended a public health order Trump issued at the start of the coronavirus pandemic that allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection to immediately expel nearly everyone, including asylum-seekers.  
Psaki said the government is still working to develop a “humane, comprehensive process” to evaluate people coming to the U.S.  
“Asylum processes at the border will not occur immediately,” she said. “It will take time to implement.”  
Alan Bersin, who held top positions dealing with border security during the Clinton and Obama administrations, warned that Biden is headed for a crisis if he releases all asylum-seekers into the United States. That would invite fraud and abuse, he said.
“There’s such a pressing sense in the advocate community that is controlling the Biden immigration agenda — they want to reverse all Trump actions,” he said.  
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting.
The number of people apprehended at the border has increased since January, though it’s below some previous periods. Authorities say many are getting caught and returned multiple times.
Complicating matters, a law has taken effect in Mexico that prohibits holding children in migrant detention centers, and the U.S. has stopped sending back some families along parts of the border.
CBP, which doesn’t have capacity to hold families because of COVID-19, in recent weeks has released dozens of people into the U.S. with instructions to appear in court later.
Authorities fear that as word spreads of those releases, more people will come. And asylum is not the only immigration issue creating headwinds for Biden’s administration.
Texas and Arizona have both sued to stop Biden’s 100-day deportation moratorium, which a judge temporarily put on hold. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement officers are complaining about proposed rules to focus on detaining and removing people in the country illegally who pose national security threats or have been convicted of more serious crimes.  
Jon Feere, a senior adviser to ICE under Trump, said such moves are part of a larger pattern that the Biden administration will come to regret.  
“When you send the message that you are not serious about immigration enforcement, you can’t act surprised when you see a massive influx of people that you have to manage,” he said.
Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of the Border Patrol, said last week that as a liaison to the Biden transition team, he found the staff to be “very attentive” to the issues. Some had experience with surges of asylum-seekers under Obama.  
“This wasn’t uncharted waters,” Ortiz said in an interview  produced by the Border Patrol. “It wasn’t like we were starting from scratch.”
The larger debate is lost on Osorio, who came to Tijuana because he heard Biden wants to help people like him. He says he intended to seek asylum based on the dangers he faced as an environmental activist protesting illegal logging in Honduras.
But because he can’t seek asylum at the official border crossing in San Diego, other migrants told him about a place he could try to cross illegally. He said if he encountered the Border Patrol, he would ask for asylum and see what happens.  
“They already told us more or less how to do it,” Osorio said. “We’re going to take a look.”
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Carlos Menem, a former Argentine president who delivered short-lived economic stability and forged close ties with the United States in the 1990s even as he navigated scandal and enjoyed an often flamboyant lifestyle, has died.Argentine President Alberto Fernández confirmed the death of the 90-year-old former leader, who had been ailing in recent weeks.The dapper lawyer from one of Argentina’s poorest provinces, dismissed by critics as a playboy, steered Argentina toward a free-market model that was, at one point, envied by neighbors and favored by investors. Menem’s accomplishments, however, coincided with growing unemployment, economic inequality and foreign debt.Menem was also supremely flexible as a politician, beginning his career as a self-styled disciple of Gen. Juan Domingo Peron, who founded the populist movement that bears his name and placed the economy largely under state control. Menem, who served two terms as president between 1989 and 1999, transformed the country — but in the opposite direction.”I don’t know if I’m going to get the country out of its economic problems, but I’m sure going to make a more fun country,” Menem once said. He relished the company of celebrities, hosting the Rolling Stones and Madonna in Buenos Aires, and memorably shrugged off criticism after receiving a red Ferrari as a gift from an Italian businessman in 1990.”It is mine, mine and mine,” Menem, an auto racing fan, said in front of television cameras. “Why would I donate it?”Later, he reluctantly agreed to auction off the car for $135,000, with the proceeds going to state coffers.The son of Syrian immigrants whose family owned a winery, Menem was a folksy, three-time governor of northwestern La Rioja Province, noted for shoulder-length hair and muttonchop sideburns when he came to international prominence.He won the Peronist Party nomination and surged to victory in 1989 presidential elections, capitalizing on economic and social chaos in Argentina. The country was mired in 5,000% annual inflation and the poor were sacking supermarkets to obtain food.Under Menem, the economy registered strong growth, inflation dropped to single digits and the peso, the national currency, enjoyed unprecedented stability as it was pegged to the U.S. dollar. The long hair and sideburns were gone and the flashy clothes replaced by imported, hand-made suits.The core of Menem’s recovery plan, masterminded by energetic Harvard-educated Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo, was the withdrawal of the state from the economy.Menem removed controls on prices and interest rates. He sold the state-owned phone company, airlines, race tracks, steel mills and the oil giant YPF, then South America’s largest company. He cut the state payroll and encouraged foreign investment. He curbed once-powerful labor unions that formed the backbone of the Peronist movement and were angered by state payroll cuts that eliminated jobs.In foreign affairs, Menem withdrew Argentina from the Non-Aligned Movement, a Cold War-era structure that had espoused independence from the United States and — less so — the Soviet Union, and forged strong ties with Washington.Argentine troops participated in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq and joined U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti and the former Yugoslavia.During Menem’s tenure, Argentina was the scene of deadly bombings — against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and a Jewish center in 1994. Argentina accused Iran of involvement; Iran denied it. Menem was later tried for the alleged cover-up of those responsible for the attack on the Jewish center, but was found not guilty in a trial in 2019.As president, Menem prevailed in disputes with the Argentine military, whose 1976 coup had led to the extrajudicial killings and disappearances of tens of thousands of people. He trimmed armed forces spending and abolished the highly unpopular military conscription system.He dismayed human rights groups by granting a pardon to former military junta members serving sentences of up to life in prison for crimes connected to the disappearance of Argentine dissidents during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. The pardon was extended to former guerrillas in what Menem described as a process of national reconciliation.Menem also renewed relations with Britain, severed after the Argentine dictatorship’s 1982 invasion of the British-held Falkland Islands. The invasion ended in Argentina’s defeat in a 74-day war.Menem was elected governor of La Rioja in 1973, but his first term was cut short by the 1976 coup. The military rulers sent him to prison, along with other politicians. He later was confined for nearly five years in a small village in northern Formosa province.Various controversies trailed Menem after his presidency. In 2001, he was detained for several months for alleged involvement in the sale of Argentine weapons to Croatia and Ecuador in the 1990s, at a time of international embargoes on those countries. He was eventually convicted in the case and sentenced in 2013 to seven years in prison, but he was protected from going to jail because he had been elected as a senator in 2005 and enjoyed immunity. The case was dropped in 2017.His colorful political career aside, Menem was a subject of fascination for his personal life. He dined with actors, models and pop music stars, danced the tango on television, played soccer and posed for the covers of gossip magazines.In 1966 he married the Argentine Zulema Yoma and they had two children: Carlos Facundo, who died at the age of 26 when the helicopter he was piloting crashed, and Zulema María Eva. The marriage was dissolved amid a scandal that included the eviction in 1990 of the then first lady from the presidential residence.In 2001, at age 70, Menem married the Chilean television presenter and former Miss Universe Cecilia Bolocco, who was 36. The couple had a son, Máximo. The couple divorced in 2011.Menem also had a son with the teacher and later Peronist deputy Martha Meza, whom he met when he was confined in Formosa during the dictatorship. Carlos Nair Meza was 25 years old when Menem acknowledged him as his son. 
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A truth and reconciliation commission could help Mexico come to terms with a legacy of African slavery, civil rights activist Martin Luther King III said during a visit to the Latin American country.King, the eldest son of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, is visiting Mexico to join a government commemoration of Afro-Mexican liberation hero Vicente Guerrero, who as the nation’s second president abolished most slavery in 1829, before the practice was ended in Britain and the United States.Guerrero died 190 years ago Sunday.Mexico has long overlooked the legacy of slavery and its impact on the country’s Black people, who are mostly concentrated in poor coastal villages on the Pacific and Gulf coasts.King, 63, said both Mexico and the United States could consider South African-style reconciliation processes to fully acknowledge the past.”Before you can ever address a problem, you have to acknowledge that it exists,” King said in an interview on Saturday. “A truth and reconciliation commission gives people the opportunity to come and apologize for past conduct, so that you have a new slate.”He said discussions about reparations for slavery should also flow from such a process.Conversations about “reparations in my judgment are certainly in order in places around the world, particularly where people have been enslaved,” he said. “I think the conversations must take place.”Few truth commissions around the world have tackled the legacy of slavery and colonialism directly.However, a 2011 report from Mauritius’ Truth and Justice Commission documented abuses suffered under slavery and indentured labor and recommended some land reparation.African slavery in Mexico was at its height in the late 16th and early 17th centuries after Spain prohibited enslaving the indigenous population, with around 200,000 Africans brought to Mexico.Growing awareness has led more people to self-identify as Afro-Mexican in recent years, with the 2020 census counting 2.5 million people, or 2% of the population, who self-identified as having African descent, up significantly from a count five years earlier.”Black Mexican communities … must be included and must have a voice,” King said. “The goal is to make sure that nobody is invisible. 
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Elections are essential to ending Haiti’s longtime “political paralysis,” U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison told VOA in an exclusive interview Friday.     “What troubles us is governance by decree, governance by presidential decree that has been going on in Haiti for a period that is not normal and is ongoing,” Sison said.     US Ambassador to Haiti, Michele Sison.The ambassador told VOA that U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “said clearly that democracy and human rights have a central place in American foreign policy.”   Sison expressed concern about recent political events in Haiti, including an alleged coup and assassination attempt against President Jovenel Moise on February 7.   Twenty-three people were arrested in connection with the plot, including Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil. Haiti Civilian Court Orders Release of Supreme Court Justice Accused in Coup Plot Yvickel Dabresil was one of 23 people arrested Sunday and accused of plotting to overthrow President Jovenel Moise   The justice was released from detention on Thursday (Feb. 11) after national outcry and international expressions of concern. Twenty others remain in detention.    When does Moise’s term end?  
 
The Biden administration has been criticized for supporting Moise’s claim his term should end in 2022.  The Haitian opposition argues his term expired on February 7, 2021.     “The superior council of the judiciary branch, who in principle has the last word on all political and judicial conflicts – has ruled that Jovenel Moise’s term ended on February 7,” lawyer Andre Michel, the representative of the Democratic and Popular sector of opposition groups told VOA.    Sison said the United States and its allies agree on the 2022 end date.    “The Haitian people elected President Jovenel Moise in November 2016. President Moise was sworn in on February 7, 2017 for a five-year term that will end on February 7, 2022. That is the same analysis that the OAS made – the Organization of American States,” the ambassador told VOA.     U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, and Congressman Andy Levin, also a member of the committee, however, have agreed with the opposition that Moise’s term ended on February 7. They say a provisional government should be formed by members of the opposition to organize legislative and presidential elections as soon as possible.     “Feb 7th marks the end of Pres Moise’s term in Haiti. The country is in worse shape than when he began w/ rampant poverty, corruption & gang violence in which the govt is complicit. The US should join in calling for an inclusive transition that represents the Haitian people,” Leahy tweeted.  Feb 7th marks the end of Pres Moise’s term in Haiti. The country is in worse shape than when he began w/ rampant poverty, corruption & gang violence in which the govt is complicit. The US should join in calling for an inclusive transition that represents the Haitian people. https://t.co/SiFCQb3Pag— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) February 6, 2021 “With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power,” Levy tweeted. With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power. https://t.co/3AzphfSPaN— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 7, 2021 
“Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power,” Meeks tweeted. Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power. The full text of the letter: https://t.co/CDGgmpM45Lpic.twitter.com/pkuriOY5TS— Rep. Gregory Meeks (@RepGregoryMeeks) February 6, 2021  What everyone agrees on   
All political actors seem to agree on the need for elections but not on the specifics.     Moise insists that a referendum must first be held in April to approve a new constitution before holding presidential and legislative elections in September.     The opposition has said it will not participate in any election organized by Moise’s Provisional Electoral Council. It objects to the very creation of the council, which was hand-picked by Moise, with no opposition or civil society involvement.      Sison says all political actors should set their differences aside and focus on what’s best for the people of Haiti.     “Political and economic stability is only going to come when Haiti’s leaders set aside their differences. When they set aside their differences in order to serve the Haitian people. And set aside their differences also to support Haiti’s democratic institutions,” she told VOA.     “So, we share the Haitian people’s concern about insecurity and the health and education sectors and food insecurity. We share their concerns about gang violence,” she added.     US backs ‘inclusive solution’  
 
Sison said the administration is supports an “inclusive solution.”    “People have got to talk to each other. And they’ve got to find peaceful means to resolve their differences,” she told VOA. “Political polarization has affected governance. It has affected the lives of the Haitian people,” she added.    Moise has also stressed the need for unity and the setting aside of differences to resolve the political impasse.     “The battle I’m waging is not for myself, it’s for you,” Moise said in a national address hours after announcing the coup attempt. “I’m not here to lie to you today, I’m here to tell you the truth. … My brothers and sisters in the opposition, don’t let pride, revenge, selfishness keep you from working with me,” he said.   Moise’s government recently signed an agreement with the United Nations to help Haiti finance the organization of elections.    “A sum of 20 million American dollars has been deposited in a ‘basket fund’ by the Haitian government to organize the referendum and general elections. I congratulate the government for its efforts to allow the people to renew their political personnel,” Moise tweeted in French. Un montant de 20 millions de dollars américains vient d’être déposé dans le « basket fund » par l’Etat haitien en vue de l’organisation du référendum et des élections. Je félicite le Gouvernement pour ses efforts visant à permettre au pays de renouveler son personnel politique.— Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) February 9, 2021Asked if the United States was also prepared to contribute financial assistance to the Moise government for organizing elections, Sison said “legislative elections must be held as soon as technically feasible so the parliament’s rightful role can be restored.” “Free and fair presidential elections must also be held so that a newly elected president can succeed President Moise at the end of his term,” she said.    Sison added “we ARE committed to the people of Haiti. The people of Haiti are our neighbors. We want to see a more secure and prosperous future for Haiti and for the region. It is a region that we all share.”Jean Robert Philippe contributed to this report.
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U.S. Ambassador in Haiti Michele Sison recently spoke with VOA Creole, in Creole and English. She discussed the alleged Feb. 7 coup attempt, the country’s political impasse and the Biden administration’s foreign policy focus.The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.VOA Creole: Ambassador Sison, Haiti is facing a crisis. The president, the government has just retired three Supreme Court justices. What is your reaction, especially since this happened after the government announced there had been a coup attempt against President Jovenel Moise?Ambassador Michele Sison: Good morning, Jean Robert. Good morning to all the friends of VOA. I want to let you know that the U.S. Embassy in PAP [Port-au-Prince] is following Haiti events closely. Of course, the United States is an ally of Haiti. We work for the Haitian people. We work for political stability. We work for economic stability in Haiti. We concentrate on good governance, protection of human rights and the promotion of economic growth. I also want to confirm once more the essential role of civil society has to play.So, yes, we did see the Arrete [official announcement] published on February 8, the retirement of three Cour de Cassation [Supreme Court] Justices. We are very concerned about any actions that risk undermining democratic institutions in Haiti. Now, experts are examining the official announcement to determine if it conforms to the constitution and Haitian laws.VOA Creole: How can the U.S. help the actors in conflict? I am referring to the government of President Moise and the opposition. Is there a way the United States can intervene to help resolve this crisis?Ambassador Michele Sison: What troubles us is governance by decree, governance by presidential decree that has been going on in Haiti for a period that is not normal and is ongoing. We work with our partners in the international community like the U.N., OAS, the CORE group to make the Haitian government aware of our concern that President Moise is using decrees during this period, during which there is no functioning parliament. According to the democratic laws of Haiti, the only thing that can put an end to governance by decree is organizing free legislative elections. So that Haiti has a parliament that restores its rightful role in a democracy.The people of Haiti should have the right to elect its leader and its representatives and that is the solution to this crisis in my opinion.VOA Creole: Since you mention elections, we know that the opposition will not participate in elections organized by President Moise. They say his term ended on February 7, 2021. And the Provisional Electoral Council he created – they [opposition] say was not created legally. How can the United States support an election with an Electoral Council that the opposition refuses to participate in any election with?Ambassador Michele Sison: President (Joe) Biden and Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken said democracy and human rights have a central place in United States foreign policy. That is clear. We are very concerned about any action that risks undermining democratic institutions in Haiti.VOA Creole: Do you agree that the U.S. has faced a lot of criticism due to the fact that the U.S. and the OAS and U.N. agree that President Jovenel Moises’ term ends February 7, 2022. How do you respond to that criticism? You were also criticized for not commenting when President Moise decided that two-thirds of the parliament’s term had expired.Ambassador Michele Sison: We at the United States Embassy speak to many Haitian citizens. And, naturally, many of them are very concerned, very concerned. They would like to see Haiti move forward. Especially the economy, security. Elections are essential to end the political paralysis that exists in Haiti since a long time. For more than a year. …Haitians should have their say, so they can realize their own vision for their country. We are asking all the actors in Haiti to stay focused on restoring the constitutional order. The Haitian people elected President Jovenel Moise in November 2016. President Moise was sworn in on February 7, 2017, for a five-year term that will end on February 7, 2022. That is the same analysis that the OAS made – the Organization of American States.VOA Creole: So for now, the U.S. is encouraging President Moise to hold elections. You know that the government recently signed an agreement with the U.N. for a $20 million basket fund. Is the U.S. prepared to contribute financially to the organization of elections and a referendum on the constitution?Ambassador Michele Sison: Of course, our position for a year has been that legislative elections should have been held long ago. So legislative elections must be held as soon as it is technically feasible so the parliament’s rightful role can be restored. Free and fair presidential elections must also be held so that a newly elected president can succeed President Moise at the end of his term.VOA Creole: There is a question of security so that the elections can be held. What kind of support can the United States give the national police to guarantee the security of the voters and the candidates who are campaigning for office?Ambassador Michele Sison: For a number of years, we have worked with the National Police of Haiti to reinforce their capacity to protect the citizens. That is to say, during the elections and during the entire year. Guaranteeing the security of the citizens is an essential role. We have worked with experts for over 10 years to reinforce their ability to protect the citizens of Haiti.VOA Creole: What about the deportation of Haitians, which has continued after President Biden was sworn in? ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has deported many people back to Haiti over the last days. Do you know why this decision was made?Ambassador Michele Sison: That’s a question for Department of Homeland Security, ICE. It’s a question for DHS in Washington.VOA Creole: How do you see the relationship between Haiti and the new Biden administration? Has the Moise-(Prime Minister Joseph) Jouthe government contacted you to reinforce bilateral relations?Ambassador Michele Sison: As I said, President Biden and our new secretary of state, Tony Blinken, said clearly that democracy and human rights have a central place in American foreign policy. So the United States is supporting the people of Haiti. We are working for the improvement of Haiti and the region. It’s our region, too.VOA Creole: One last question in Creole. On February 7, the government of Haiti said it uncovered a coup plot to assassinate the president. Arrests were made, 23 people were arrested, among them Supreme Court Justice (Yvickel ) Dabresil. Were you aware of this plot that President Moise announced?Ambassador Michele Sison: The United States is following the situation in Haiti with concern. We urge the political actors to address their differences peacefully. We understand that the national police of Haiti is investigating 23 people who were arrested over the weekend of February 6-7. We understand that Justice Dabresil was released yesterday (February 11). We are awaiting the results of the police investigation — the PNH (Police National d’Haiti) investigation.VOA Creole: There were two editorials in The New York Times and Washington Post about the situation in Haiti. What is your opinion on the measures they say the Biden administration should take to resolve the political crisis in Haiti?Ambassador Michele Sison: Political and economic stability is only going to come when Haiti’s leaders set aside their differences. When they set aside their differences in order to serve the Haitian people. And set aside their differences also to support Haiti’s democratic institutions.So we share the Haitian people’s concern about insecurity and the health and education sectors and food insecurity. We share their concerns about gang violence. So I would say that Haiti’s political actors have got to set aside their differences and tackle these challenges together for the good of the Haitian people.VOA Creole: Do you have a message for the Haitian people and President Moise?Ambassador Michele Sison: Today there is a political impasse and there are challenging security and economic conditions. Haiti is operating without its full three branches of government, following the expiration of the terms of most members of parliament. There has to be an inclusive solution.People have got to talk to each other. And they’ve got to find peaceful means to resolve their differences. Haiti must hold legislative elections to form a fully functioning government that is responsive to meet the needs of the Haitian people and to exit this period of irregular rule by decree. Political polarization has affected governance. It has affected the lives of the Haitian people.I want to add that we continue to call for accountability for human rights abuses and accountability on any allegations or corruption and we reiterate the need for the government of Haiti to investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for the La Saline and Bel Air violence.So let me say that we are committed to the people of Haiti. The people of Haiti are our neighbors. We want to see a more secure and prosperous future for Haiti and for the region. It is a region that we all share.There is a strong U.S. interest in strengthening Haiti’s democratic institutions and supporting the Haitian people in their desire for a more stable, secure and prosperous future.VOA Creole: Is there anything else you would like to mention?Ambassador Michele Sison: I just want to underscore – because there does seem to be some misunderstanding that our Consulate section is closed. It is not closed.We are offering U.S. citizen services, facilitating the issuance of passports, we are facilitating the adoption process for Haitian children who are headed to the United States to join their families. We are also doing priority visa cases, including priority visa cases for medical or humanitarian (cases) and students.But I have to say that the website — our embassy website — does provide a lot of useful information. Because we are doing a very methodical intake in order to protect both our Consulate employees and the clients who come to the Consular section. So they will notice enhanced social distancing and so forth, but the Consulate section is open. It is not closed.VOA Creole: Thank you, Ambassador Sison.Ambassador Michele Sison: Thank you, Jean Robert, for the conversation, and have a good weekend.
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Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.Starting this month, the government will allow work permits to be granted to Hong Kong residents who have graduated from a Canadian university, or a similar school, in the last five years. The permits will last for up to three years. Subsequently, the students can apply to become permanent residents and eventually Canadian citizens.The move is a direct response to the National Security Law in Hong Kong. It follows moves by other countries, such as Britain, which is now allowing those with British National Overseas passports to come and stay there.Graduates who have already returned to Hong Kong can apply, as can those with education credentials from other countries, provided the diploma came from a program of at least two years.Given the current travel restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first applicants are most likely already in Canada.Activists’ arrestVancouver immigration lawyer and policy analyst Richard Kurland said the move had been expected, but the timing appeared to be related to the latest arrests of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.“Well, no surprise,” he said. “This has been on the planning books for a long time in anticipation of events in Hong Kong progressing as they have been progressing. It’s the timing of the announcement, which is key.”FILE – Shoppers walk past a Lunar New Year display at the Aberdeen Centre, which is named after the Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, in Richmond, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2021.A student from Hong Kong, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, is about to graduate from a Canadian university and said she hoped the new regulations would allow her to quickly get a work permit and start her career.She said that for her family, the new regulations were a relief.“I think my family, they are happy about the policy,” she said. “They were pretty worried because of the pandemic, as well as for the future, in Hong Kong. So I guess for my family, that’s a good sign.”Infusion of energyHong Kong native Miu Chung Yan, a professor of social work at the University of British Columbia, has extensively studied the settlement of immigrants and refugees. He is also involved with the Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society, which helps immigrants from Hong Kong settle into Canadian society.He said the new immigration rules would allow an increase of energetic, young, well-trained professionals for the Canadian labor market. He also said he thought the rules would revitalize the Hong Kong and Asian communities in Canada.“So now if we can have a new group of [the] younger generation to come and join, I think that will … energize the community and also push up the economy a little bit, the so-called ethnic economy,” he said. “So I think those are good things.”FILE – Maria Law, who emigrated from Hong Kong with her family, views the skyline with her daughters from Jericho Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2021.The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said it would create two more plans for Hong Kong residents to become permanent residents.Kurland, the immigration lawyer, said he found it surprising that the Canadian government was not revealing all the plans at once. He said the delay appeared to be tied to actions the Chinese government is taking incrementally in Hong Kong.“Rather than release the plan in its entirety, the government of Canada is engaging in a kind of communication striptease exercise,” he said. “Every time there’s a negative headline from Hong Kong affecting potential migration to Canada from either Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, or people living in Hong Kong, the communications response is to reveal one more page of Canada’s plan to absorb hundreds of thousands of people from Hong Kong to Canada.”Work, education experienceOne plan will apply to individuals who have at least one year of work experience in Canada and who speak either English or French and meet educational standards. The second program will allow those who have graduated from postsecondary schools, like a university or technical college, to directly apply to become permanent residents of Canada.It is not known when further details will be announced or when they will take effect.The government estimates there are more than 300,000 Canadian citizens living in Hong Kong. This makes it one of the largest communities of Canadians outside the country.  
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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he approves of U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to stop new construction of the border wall between the two countries.One of Biden’s first executive orders was to halt work on the wall, which had been one of former President Donald Trump’s first campaign promises. During his 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly insisted that Mexico would pay for it, though he later sought funding from the U.S. Congress for the project.Construction crews work on a new section of the US-Mexico border fencing at El Nido de las Aguilas, eastern Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on Jan. 20, 2021.At his regular news briefing Friday, Mexico’s president told reporters he supports Biden’s decision, saying in the past, U.S. presidents from both parties had worked on the border wall.“Almost everyone has made their sections of the wall and now President Biden has decided that he is no longer going to build a wall on the border. So, it is historic,” said Obrador.He also urged U.S.-bound migrants to hold back from seeking to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border, now that a new U.S. administration is in place.The Biden administration also announced Friday that starting next week, the U.S. government will begin to process asylum-seekers forced to wait in Mexico under a controversial program put in place by Trump.Department of Homeland Security officials said beginning February 19, U.S. immigration officials will put in place phase one of a program to begin processing people who were placed in the “remain in Mexico” — also known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program — which forced tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to await U.S. immigration court dates on the Mexican side of the border.There are approximately 25,000 migrants with active MPP cases. 
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Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil was released from detention Thursday, a day after a civilian court in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Croix des Bouquets ordered his release.  Lawyer Wilner Morin, president of the National Association of Haitian Judges (ANAMAH), told VOA that there were no conditions imposed on the justice’s release, and that Dabresil was back home with his family.  Dabresil was arrested early Sunday during a sting operation regarding an alleged coup attempt that was launched by the national police in conjunction with the National Intelligence Agency.  VOA Creole reporter Renan Toussaint said 20 others who were arrested with the judge are still in police custody.  Demonstrators march to protest the government of President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Feb. 10, 2021.A lawyer for those being detained told VOA he is working to get them released as well. The alleged coup plot is laid out in a video produced by the Haitian National Intelligence Service and distributed to the press. It begins with mobile phone footage of Dabresil shortly after his arrest. The images led some lawyers who know the judge and examined the video to question the legality of the operation.  On Tuesday, Dabresil was transferred out of the National Police Force Investigations Unit facility (DCPJ — Direction Centrale Police Judiciare — the Haitian equivalent of the FBI) to a facility in Croix-des-Bouquets, located 13 kilometers northeast of Port-au-Prince. A VOA Creole reporter said the judge was transferred without being arraigned.  According to a human rights activist who visited Dabresil in detention, the justice refused to respond to DCPJ questions. Because Dabresil is an officer of the highest court of law in the nation, his legal authority supersedes that of the lower court judges, according to Haiti’s constitution.  Lawyer Samuel Madistin questioned the legality of Dabresil’s arrest.  “I think the arrest was completely illegal,” Madistin said in an interview with a Haitian radio station, saying that legal procedures were not followed. According to Madistin, the justice of the peace — who is required to be on the premises before an arrest warrant is served — was absent.  FILE – A man throws a tear gas canister back at the police during a protest against Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Feb. 10, 2021.But in an exclusive interview with VOA Creole on Tuesday, President Jovenel Moise defended the operation that led to the arrests.  “The chief of the tribunal of Port-au-Prince was asked by a journalist who has jurisdiction over crimes against the state. He responded if you pull off a coup d’etat, you are a hero. If you don’t, we will judge you as a criminal in a court of law with a jury,” Moise said.  The U.S. State Department and United Nations have expressed concern about the recent developments in Haiti.  “We understand the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals who were arrested over the weekend. The situation remains murky, and we await the results of the police investigation,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA. 
 
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The head of the Civilian Tribunal of Croix-des-Bouquets has ordered the release of Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil.  The justice was one of 23 people arrested early Sunday in connection with an alleged coup attempt. A video produced by the Haitian National Intelligence Service and distributed to the press begins with mobile phone footage of Dabresil shortly after his arrest.WATCH: Haiti protestsSorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Johnny Fils Aime a reporter for Radio Kajou in Port-au-Prince was treated for two broken bones in his leg after an encounter with police while covering an anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 9, 2021. (VOA/ Matiado Vilme)According to a human rights activist who visited Dabresil in detention, the justice refused to respond to DCPJ questions. Because Dabresil is an officer of the highest court of law in the nation, his legal authority supercedes that of the lower court judges, according to Haiti’s constitution.    Judge Samuel Madistin questioned the legality of Dabresil’s arrest.  “I think the arrest was completely illegal,” Madistin said in an interview with a Haitian radio station, citing the fact that legal procedures were not followed. According to Madistin, the justice of the peace who is required to be on the premises before an arrest warrant is served was absent.  But in an exclusive interview with VOA Creole on Tuesday, President Jovenel Moise defended the operation that led to the arrests.VOA Creole reporter Florence Lisene filed a complaint against National Police officers who attacked journalists covering a peaceful anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince.”The chief of the tribunal of Port-au-Prince was asked by a journalist who has jurisdiction over crimes against the state. He responded if you pull off a coup d’etat, you are a hero. If you don’t, we will judge you as a criminal in a court of law with a jury,” Moise said.  Pressed on the questionable circumstances of the arrest, Moise pushed back.    “A plot against the state isn’t something that happens in a day, to invade the (national) palace, you would need a thousand people. This coup was planned. A national palace security officer was contacted by the plotters — a foreigner contacted him to plan a coup d’etat and it was so well planned that they even had an arrest warrant with the president’s name on it. We must be able to speak frankly about these things,” Moise said.WATCH: Haitian police fire tear gas on journalists Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File352p | 4 MB352p | 6 MB352p | 7 MBOriginal | 6 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThe U.S. State Department and United Nations have expressed concern about the recent developments in Haiti.    “We understand the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals who were arrested over the weekend. The situation remains murky, and we await the results of the police investigation,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA.  Jacquelin Belizaire, Renan Toussaint in Port-au-Prince, Haiti contributed to this report.
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Journalists covering a peaceful protest against President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince were attacked by members of Haiti’s national police force with tear gas Wednesday.According to reporters, police first fired tear gas to disperse a large crowd of protesters who were marching through the streets of the capital chanting, “Jovenel’s term is over. Down with dictatorship!”After breaking up the protest, police turned on reporters, firing tear gas and spraying an unknown substance in their faces. At one point, a police unit fired tear gas into a pickup truck belonging to Radio-TV Pacific transporting at least 10 people, overwhelming it with smoke.VOA Creole reporter Matiado Vilme said members of the media had their press badges visible to law enforcement. Some wore bulletproof vests with the words “Press” printed on the front and back. When Vilme took cover behind a nearby pole, she said, she was followed by a police officer who fired a tear gas cannister at her feet.Shaken and furious, the group of journalists with cameras, microphones, mobile phones and various other reporting equipment held high, walked to the Bureau for the Western Department (Bureau Departmental de l’Ouest) to file a complaint against the police.”We spoke to the DDO (Directeur du Departement de l’Ouest, Paul Menard). We explained the situation and gave him examples of journalists who had been victimized by the police,” said Florence Lisene, a VOA Creole stringer who was one of three journalists who filed the complaint.”The only guarantee he gave us was that he was going to bring this complaint to the police chief to be examined and investigated. He also said they would investigate the police backup who committed these actions to determine what disciplinary measures are warranted,” Lisene said.VOA Creole tried to contact Menard for comment but was unsuccessful.A U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA: “The United States has seen reports of police injuring journalists as they attempted to disperse recent demonstrations. We call on Haitian authorities to respect the freedoms of expression and association and the right to peaceful assembly, and we call on the Haitian National Police Inspector General to conduct a thorough investigation of these incidents.”The Haitian Online Media Association (ANMH) issued a statement denouncing the attack.”ANMH vehemently condemns the barbaric acts committed by the police, of which journalists were victims over the past days,” the organization said.The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement Feb. 9 expressing concern about the police shooting Feb. 8 of two journalists as they covered a protest in the Champ de Mars neighborhood, calling for Moise’s resignation.”Haitian authorities should thoroughly investigate the shootings of journalists Alvarez Destiné and Méus Jeanril, identify those responsible and hold them to account,” CPJ said.One of the wounded reporters has undergone two operations for the injuries he suffered at the hands of police.Haiti Secretary of State for Communications Eddy Jackson Alexis commented on Twitter: “I was stunned to learn that journalist @CheryHaiti was injured today during a protest in the capital. I invite @pnh_officiel to be more careful in its interventions and invite journalists to exercise caution while working.”J’ai appris avec émoi que le journaliste @CheryHaiti a été victime lors d’une manifestation ce jour dans la capitale. J’invite la @pnh_officiel à plus de prévoyance dans ses interventions tout invitant les journalistes à plus de prudence dans ce métier.— Eddy Jackson Alexis (@Eddyjalexis) February 10, 2021A United Nations report published in September 2020 said the uptick in violence against journalists covering protests was cause for concern. Among its recommendations for protecting media workers was “strengthening training for police and law enforcement on freedom of expression, and appropriate behavior in dealing with the media.”
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U.S. Coast Guard officials said Wednesday a coast guard helicopter crew rescued two men and a woman from a deserted island where they had apparently been stranded for more than a month.In a statement, the Coast Guard said the three people — later identified as Cuban nationals — were initially spotted Monday by a Coast Guard helicopter as it flew over an uninhabited Bahamian island between the U.S. city of Key West, Florida, and Cuba, while on a routine patrol.The helicopter crew said the stranded trio was seen waving. The crew dropped food, water, and a radio to establish communication.The statement says the Coast Guard dispatched a second helicopter Tuesday to retrieve them. They told officials their boat had capsized in rough waters and they were able to swim to the island. Local media reported they said they had survived on coconuts, conchs and rats.On Twitter, Coast Guard officials said a U.S. Border Patrol agent took custody of the three Cuban nationals Wednesday and turned them over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Local news reports say they were taken to the U.S. for a medical checkup.
 
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Jamaica begins a new two-week curfew Wednesday to slow the sudden spike in COVID-19 infections. Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced the curfew will last from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am each day. The prime minister also acknowledged during an address to lawmakers Tuesday that while curfews are known to be effective, the restricting of activities and movement is also costly to the economy.  Under the latest restrictions, the public gathering limit will be reduced from 15 people to 10 people through February 24. The prime minister announced the restrictions after first telling Parliament that just over 1,900 people contracted COVID-19 in Jamaica in the past week.  Holness also said hospitalizations are up across the island.  So far, Jamaica has confirmed 17,298 infections and 358 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center. 
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Election officials in Ecuador will be reviewing thousands of primary ballots over concerns of irregularities before determining which candidate will face top vote getter Andrés Arauz in an upcoming runoff election. Arauz, an ally of former President Rafael Correa, secured a spot in the April 11 run off after receiving just over 32 percent of the vote in Sunday’s primary election. Ecuador’s National Election Council said 3,770 ballots have to be reexamined before it determines if Indigenous environmental activist Yaku Pérez’ less than one percent lead over banker Guillermo Lasso holds up.  All three candidates expressed confidence in the review process following a meeting Tuesday with electoral observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) and Ecuador National Electoral Council (CNE) authorities. It is unclear how long it will take before the CNE validates the returns. 
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The United Nations Refugee Agency has held initial talks with U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration about Central American asylum claimants being processed in their own countries, but it is too early to estimate how many people could benefit from the policy, agency head Filippo Grandi said on Tuesday.The Biden administration has already said it plans to restore a program which allows certain children in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to apply for refugee status in the United States from home.”This is a complex situation,” Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, told Reuters in an interview as he wrapped up a visit to Colombia. “It’s very early days to come to conclusions or make comments because the work is in progress.”Investment in migrants’ home countries will be key to strengthening economies and security and diminishing incentives to leave, he said.”We need to also … work very much with Mexico to strengthen its own capacity to deal with the movement (of migrants),” Grandi said.Thousands of Central Americans have attempted to travel north in recent months following back-to-back hurricanes in November, which displaced more than 500,000 people, according to data from the International Organization for Migration.Biden’s government has suspended 2019 agreements with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, which sought to force asylum-seekers to first seek refuge in those countries if they passed through them, before applying in the United States.Grandi’s Colombia visit was crowned by a Monday announcement that the country will allow Venezuelan migrants to seek temporary protective status for a 10-year period.The new rules allow Venezuelans already in the country and those who arrive during the first two years of the scheme to apply for the status.The U.N. will up its efforts to help Colombia prepare for potential increases of Venezuelan immigrants, Grandi said.”We are certainly stepping up our operation,” Grandi said. “It’s a variety of interventions that we’re doing, but we’re also helping the government at the legal and institutional level to strengthen this preparation.”Colombia’s migration agency estimated on Tuesday that as many as 2.5 million Venezuelans could benefit from temporary protection, including some 770,000 it projects may arrive over the next two years.Of the more than 1.7 million Venezuelan immigrants currently in Colombia, over 50% lack legal status. Colombia has been the top destination for people fleeing economic and social collapse in neighboring Venezuela.
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Experts are warning of a looming humanitarian crisis in Venezuela if President Joe Biden’s new U.S. administration does not lift restrictions that are preventing the South American country from swapping its plentiful crude oil reserves for refined diesel fuel from abroad.With Venezuela’s refinery sector in disarray after years of mismanagement, the country has become increasingly dependent on imported diesel fuel to generate electricity and transport essential goods including food, medicine and humanitarian supplies.That international lifeline has been cut off by new U.S. sanctions introduced by the administration of former President Donald Trump last August. No diesel shipments have arrived in Venezuela since October 2020 and existing supplies are expected to run out in March.It is not yet clear how the new White House team plans to deal with the crisis. Press secretary Jean Psaki recently said the administration wants to promote a peaceful and democratic transition in Venezuela through free and fair elections. She also said Washington will “prosecute individual” Venezuelans implicated in corruption and human rights violations.Why is diesel important?The gas shortage in Venezuela, caused by the collapse of the oil industry and years of U.S. sanctions, has forced the country to import diesel and gas both through bartering with companies like Repsol in Spain, Reliance in India and Eni in Italy, also importing diesel from Rosneft, the Russian oil company that was banned by the United States.An oil tanker is seen at Jose refinery cargo terminal in Venezuela in this undated file photo.Diesel, therefore, gained relevance as the engine for essential activities for society. “It is a very important fuel for various activities that have humanitarian relevance, in particular food transportation, electricity generation and public transportation,” Francisco Rodríguez, a Venezuelan economist, explained to Voice of America.Currently, the country has enough supply of diesel to meet the minimum demand until the end of March, said Luis Vicente León, director of Datanalisis, a consulting firm in Venezuela.When was diesel trade banned and why?Since October 2020, the government of former U.S. President Trump has prohibited oil companies from sending diesel to Venezuela in exchange for crude. The year before in January 2019, the U.S. imposed sanctions to PDVSA, the Venezuelan state oil company; however, diesel trade was exempt.Repsol, Reliance and Eni participated in this exchange with PDVSA. According to Consecomercio, a private sector organization in Venezuela, not a single ship loaded with imported fuel has arrived in the country since October 24 of last year.FILE – Closed gas pumps stand at a PDVSA gas station in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 8, 2020.The former envoy of the U.S. Department of State, Elliott Abrams, justified the measure as a tool of pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, arguing that the Venezuelan government was sending crude and diesel to Cuba.In the last three months, Venezuela sent Cuba an average of 4,000 barrels a day of diesel, according to Reuters data. Experts agree, however, the amount that is sent to the island is small, compared to what is consumed and needed.”Shipments to Cuba are tiny compared to the diesel deficit that would be generated by breaking the agreement,” León said. The gap between the amount of diesel consumed and that demanded in the country is between 16,000 and 20,000 barrels a day, the expert said.National diesel consumption in Venezuela is estimated at 100,000 barrels a day, according to figures published last November by the Unitary Federation of Petroleum Workers of Venezuela. Iván Freites, secretary of that union, affirmed then that PDVSA’s refineries were only producing 25 percent of what was required, that is, about 25,000 barrels a day.A ‘humanitarian’ measureExperts say that lifting the oil-diesel exchange ban will give Venezuela essential access to fuel and that without it, the humanitarian crisis in the country could worsen.Miguel Pizarro, the envoy to the United Nations of Juan Guaidó, one of the opposition leaders recognized by dozens of countries, including the United States, as interim president of Venezuela, told Voice of America that the humanitarian emergency is not caused by sanctions, but he does recognize that they can have a negative impact by being in effect a long period of time.Guaido says he also thinks that sanctions over a long period of time will have an impact.”This sanction [on the exchange of oil for diesel], applied for a long time, could affect the distribution of humanitarian assistance in the country and the capacity to provide services,” wrote the opposition politician to VOA.   Before the U.S. government made the decision to implement sanctions, a group of 115 organizations and individuals wrote to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, asking him not to do so.A ‘national scale’ problemOne of the most affected sectors in Venezuela is the state of Zulia, with a high population and affluent commercial zones. Sanctions and prohibitions against PDVSA have not allowed merchant and dealers to exchange oil for diesel.Vehicles line up near a gas station to fill their tanks in Caracas, Venezuela, Sept. 8, 2020.Erasmo Aliam, a labor union member in the transportation sector, highlights that the transfer of passengers, food, medicine and various cargo has been affected by the shortage of diesel.“Every day the situation with gasoline gets worse. In Caracas and the central region of the country, the issue is a little easier. Here we have more lines, people wait four or five days in lines to pour gasoline. General transportation runs on diesel,” he told VOA.Aliam, president of the “Central Unica de Transporte de Zulia,” confirms that many drivers invested in adapting the engines of their vehicles to use diesel, due to the constant lack of gas.Venezuelan traders also acknowledge that they feel the impact of the lack of diesel. Felipe Capozzolo, president of the National Council for Commerce and Services, said on Wednesday that there has been no “continuous flow” of liquid hydrocarbon since the end of October of last year. In a virtual press conference, he specified that there are Venezuelan states that “have the leading role in calamities,” such as Zulia or Barinas, but he warned that the problem already reaches national dimensions.He expressed hope that this period will be a “lesson learned” for the sectors involved to “generate all our diesel without depending on anyone.” 
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Haitian President Jovenel Moise has retired three Supreme Court justices, two days after announcing a foiled coup attempt.  The retired justices are Yvickel Dabrezil, who was arrested by the national police in an operation to thwart an alleged coup attempt in the early morning hours of Sunday, Justices Wendelle Coq Thelot and Joseph Mecene Jean Louis. 
 
Jean Louis, the most senior member of the Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation), issued a video Monday that was posted on social media, in which he declared he has accepted the nomination by the opposition and civil society members to “serve his country as provisional president of the transition”.   
 The presidential decree announced in Haiti’s government newsletter announcing the retirement of three Supreme Court Justices, Feb. 8, 2021.Haiti’s opposition has insisted for months that President Moise’s term expires on February 7, 2021 according to the constitution and that a transitional government should replace him. Their plan calls for a Supreme Court justice to serve as provisional president – in accordance with the constitution – until elections can be held to choose a new president.Moise says his term will expire in February 2022, a date accepted by the U.S., United Nations and Organization of American States.  They have urged Moise to organize elections “as soon as technically feasible, followed by 2021 presidential elections.”  
 
Haiti should have held presidential and legislative elections in 2020 to choose Moise’s successor but was unable to do so due to the coronavirus pandemic and insecurity.  Moise has been ruling by decree since January of 2020 when the terms of 2/3 of the parliament expired.The three judges retired by Moise are in the line of succession. The country’s constitution stipulates that a member of the high court should serve as provisional president if a president is unable to perform his duties.   Journalists gather outside the Supreme Court of Haiti (Cours de cassation)on, Feb. 8, 2021 in the almost empty streets of Port-au-Prince.Is the decree legal? 
 
There are questions regarding the legality of Moise’s decree. Jean Wilner Morin, president of the National Association of Haitian Magistrates, ANAMAH, says it is a violation of the constitution.  “Article 177 of the constitution says you cannot retire a judge against his will, you cannot transfer him. For a judge to be retired he must be 60 years old or incapacitated and unable to perform his duties,” Morin said in an interview with a Haitian radio station Tuesday. “You must have worked for at least 25 years in the (judiciary) institution and must make a request to retire.  So we see these judges Yvickel Dabrezil who is 55, Joseph Mecene Jean Louis is 72 – (were targeted because) they are people who are in the line of succession and could replace Jovenel Moise.” Judge Morin said ANAMAH considers Justice Dabrezil’s arrest a “kidnapping” and described the conditions of his detention as “deplorable.”  Morin, who visited the justice in jail on Monday said Dabrezil was kicked by an arresting officer. He suffers from hypertension and diabetes and was denied food or water for over 12 hours. The cell where he is being held is surrounded by police officers, and he was denied permission to bathe. He sleeps in a chair, Morin said.    Morin said ANAMAH is working to get the justice released.  “His family and the association of judges – we met yesterday and took measures we don’t want to talk about publicly yet – that will allow for his release,” Morin said.  FILE – State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, Feb. 2, 2021.US urges Moise to avoid ruling by decree    Both the Biden and Trump administrations have warned Moise repeatedly against ruling by decree. On Monday, a State Department spokesperson reiterated its position. “The United States continues to maintain that the Haitian government should exercise restraint in issuing decrees, only using that power to schedule legislative elections and for matters of immediate threats to life, health, and safety until parliament is restored and can resume its constitutional responsibilities,” a spokesperson said, in response to VOA’s question.   The State Department and the United Nations told VOA Monday they are closely following the events in Haiti and await results of the Haitian police investigation on the arrests made on Sunday.  “The United States is following the situation in Haiti with concern and calls on all political actors to address their differences through peaceful means.  We understand the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals who were arrested over the weekend.  The situation remains murky and we await the results of the police investigation,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA.    
 This anti-government protester, in Port-au-Prince Feb. 8, 2021, told VOA he supports the opposition’s decision to name a Supreme Court justice as provisional president. (Photo: Matiado Vilme / VOA)On the streets of Port-au-Prince, not far from the national palace, an anti-government protester told VOA people support the opposition’s decision to choose a provisional president among the Supreme Court justices. 
 
“We the people embrace this idea because it’s not a decision that was made by a monarchy. You can tell they put the constitution first and chose a judge from the Supreme Court as the constitution mandates,” he said. “If there’s a vacancy at the national palace, a supreme court judge should be the replacement.”  On Tuesday, the Caribbean nation remains tense after police exchanged gunfire with protesters demanding President Moise resign. Two journalists were seriously injured and hospitalized.   Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Cindy Saine at the State Department and Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
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Tensions are running high in Haiti Tuesday, a day after police clashed with anti-government protesters demanding that embattled President Jovenel Moise resign. Opposition groups angered that Moise’s term expired on Sunday named their own leader of the impoverished country after officials claimed they had averted an attempt to kill the president and overthrow the government in a coup. A demonstrator picks up a tear gas canister during protests against Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 8, 2021.Moise contends his term will expire on February 7 of next year, citing he was sworn into office for a five-year term in 2017. Just over 20 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in that election. Moise’s efforts to remain in office have been hampered by the fragile makeup of the political infrastructure. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that some institutions that could help end the stalemate over the length of the presidential term lack the necessary authorization, including the Constitutional Council, which it says only exists on paper.  
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Peru begins its fight against a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, with President Francisco Sagasti rolling up his sleeve first, to show people the vaccine is safe.   Peru is beginning its first round of immunization just two days after receiving 300,000 doses of vaccine from China’s Sinopharm laboratory.  A spokeswoman for Peru’s health ministry said authorities are hoping the vaccine will restore hope in tackling the crisis. Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti is delaying her vaccination, opting for front line health care workers to get immunized first.  Peru, which has one of the highest coronavirus tallies in Latin America, has confirmed more than 1,186,000 infections and 42,308 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center. 
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Ecuadorean presidential candidate Andrés Arauz is heading for a runoff vote in national elections after leading among a field of 16 candidates but not winning enough votes for an outright victory. Arauz, an ally of former populist president Rafael Correa, received at least 32 percent of the vote, based on two exit polls from Sunday’s vote, far less than the 50 percent needed to avoid a second round of voting.Ecuador’s presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso attends a news conference in Guayaquil, Feb. 8, 2021.Battling for a second-place finish is Yaku Pérez, an attorney and human rights activist propelled by support among his indigenous community, and Guillermo Lasso, a banker seeking the South American country’s top office for a third time.  
 
Both candidates received nearly 20 percent of the vote. 
 
The second round of voting, which is expected to determine who becomes Ecuador’s new president, is set for April 11. 
 
Aside from choosing a successor to President Lenin Moreno, voters will also be selecting 137 members to Congress. 
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