Émile Jonassaint
Encyclopedia
Émile Jonassaint was a Haïti
an Supreme Court Justice and political figure.
He served as Haiti's President of the Constituent Assembly during the 1987 Constitution.
He served as Head of the Provisional Government of Haiti president of Haiti
for five months (May 11 and October 12) in 1994 after the military regime had forced Jean-Bertrand Aristide
,the elected president,out of the country in 1991. It is alleged by President Aristide sympathizers that during his presidency, the military conducted some of the harshest human rights abuses. Though some members of the Haitian Army have been accused of horrible crimes, one should not condemn the entire Army of Haiti with one brush. It is important to distinguish between the behavior of a few army officers and the entire Haitian Armed Forces which also at the time include the police force.
Throughout 1994 the U.S. government put pressure on the repressive Haitian military Leaders to resign and allow the elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to return to the country. Under the Haitian Constitution of 1987, if for whatever reason the president cannot discharge of his duties, his authority will be vested unto the Cabinet presided by the Prime Minister. It so happened that the Prime Minister at the time, His Excellency, Mr. Rene Preval had left the country under a tumultuous series of convocation by the Parliament (duly elected as well) requesting that he comes to their chambers to answer allegations of fraud and abuses of power among other things. Parliamentary leaders wanted to give the Prime Minister a vote of no confidence, asking for his resignation, de facto. Instead of appearing in from of the Parliament, the Prime Minister decided to defy the third branch and its power and his good friend, President Aristide, usurping the powers not delegated to the Executive branch or him under the Constitution, went to the Parliamentary chambers and threaten the leaders of that body. Some of them got beaten by his supporters, their houses ransacked and their lives threaten. Some had to go in hiding. The police did not do anything to protect these elected officials. The fragile, burgeoning democratic republic of Haiti was in another crisis. President Aristide became a destabilizing force. Some military leaders decided to arrest the President for cause and deport him to Venezuela. Of course, this is not new to Haiti. The military has often interfere in civilian life for their own purpose. It was not different this time. Therefore, article 148 of the Constitution could not be enforced and under article 149, a Provisional government was formed with a senior member of the Cour de Cassasion. That is Constitutional order. In May, the United Nations Security Council
called for all necessary means to be taken for the return of elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power -- (Resolution 917
). About 100 UN monitors went to the Dominican Republic
-Haiti border in mid-August to stop oil smuggling, which was sustaining the Haitian military leaders.
In response, Émile Jonassaint, declared a state of siege
and accused the world of having "declared war on poor Haiti, which has harmed nobody." Throughout August the army and its paramilitary ally, the 'Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti', continued to presumably murder some Aristide supporters while organizing parades of "volunteers" to fight an invasion.
On September 18, 1994 President Bill Clinton sent former president Jimmy Carter
, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell
, and Sen. Sam Nunn
, at the request of U.S. Senator Bob Bennett of Utah, to negotiate the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide with Emile Jonassaint, Head of the Provisional Government in Haiti. Emile Jonassaint signed what is known as the Port-au-Prince Accord and step down as Head of the Provisional Government of Haiti upon the return of the elected President. On October 24, 1995, Jonassaint died at the age of 82.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an Supreme Court Justice and political figure.
He served as Haiti's President of the Constituent Assembly during the 1987 Constitution.
He served as Head of the Provisional Government of Haiti president of Haiti
President of Haiti
The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...
for five months (May 11 and October 12) in 1994 after the military regime had forced Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
,the elected president,out of the country in 1991. It is alleged by President Aristide sympathizers that during his presidency, the military conducted some of the harshest human rights abuses. Though some members of the Haitian Army have been accused of horrible crimes, one should not condemn the entire Army of Haiti with one brush. It is important to distinguish between the behavior of a few army officers and the entire Haitian Armed Forces which also at the time include the police force.
Throughout 1994 the U.S. government put pressure on the repressive Haitian military Leaders to resign and allow the elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to return to the country. Under the Haitian Constitution of 1987, if for whatever reason the president cannot discharge of his duties, his authority will be vested unto the Cabinet presided by the Prime Minister. It so happened that the Prime Minister at the time, His Excellency, Mr. Rene Preval had left the country under a tumultuous series of convocation by the Parliament (duly elected as well) requesting that he comes to their chambers to answer allegations of fraud and abuses of power among other things. Parliamentary leaders wanted to give the Prime Minister a vote of no confidence, asking for his resignation, de facto. Instead of appearing in from of the Parliament, the Prime Minister decided to defy the third branch and its power and his good friend, President Aristide, usurping the powers not delegated to the Executive branch or him under the Constitution, went to the Parliamentary chambers and threaten the leaders of that body. Some of them got beaten by his supporters, their houses ransacked and their lives threaten. Some had to go in hiding. The police did not do anything to protect these elected officials. The fragile, burgeoning democratic republic of Haiti was in another crisis. President Aristide became a destabilizing force. Some military leaders decided to arrest the President for cause and deport him to Venezuela. Of course, this is not new to Haiti. The military has often interfere in civilian life for their own purpose. It was not different this time. Therefore, article 148 of the Constitution could not be enforced and under article 149, a Provisional government was formed with a senior member of the Cour de Cassasion. That is Constitutional order. In May, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
called for all necessary means to be taken for the return of elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power -- (Resolution 917
United Nations Security Council Resolution 917
United Nations Security Council Resolution 917, adopted unanimously on May 6, 1994, after recalling resolutions 841 , 861 , 862 , 867 , 873 and 875 and 905 on the situation in Haiti, the Council imposed further international sanctions on the country after the military authorities refused to...
). About 100 UN monitors went to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
-Haiti border in mid-August to stop oil smuggling, which was sustaining the Haitian military leaders.
In response, Émile Jonassaint, declared a state of siege
State of Siege
State of Siege is a 1972 French film directed by Costa Gavras starring Yves Montand and Renato Salvatori.-Summary:...
and accused the world of having "declared war on poor Haiti, which has harmed nobody." Throughout August the army and its paramilitary ally, the 'Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti', continued to presumably murder some Aristide supporters while organizing parades of "volunteers" to fight an invasion.
On September 18, 1994 President Bill Clinton sent former president Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, and Sen. Sam Nunn
Sam Nunn
Samuel Augustus Nunn, Jr. is an American lawyer and politician. Currently the co-chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative , a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, Nunn served for 24 years as a...
, at the request of U.S. Senator Bob Bennett of Utah, to negotiate the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide with Emile Jonassaint, Head of the Provisional Government in Haiti. Emile Jonassaint signed what is known as the Port-au-Prince Accord and step down as Head of the Provisional Government of Haiti upon the return of the elected President. On October 24, 1995, Jonassaint died at the age of 82.
Related News Stories
- MISSION TO HAITI: POLITICS; Haiti's Military Peruses Fine Print of Accord in Bid to Hold Onto Power By LARRY ROHTER The New York Times
- Haiti's Rulers Are Defiant Despite Threat of Invasion By Douglas Farah The Washington Post
- Carter Center Article about Jimmy Carter's trip to Haiti
- Washington Post story about death of Emile Jonassaint