Haiti Cholera Victims Threaten To Sue UN, Give 60-Day Ultimatum
Attorneys for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) announced Wednesday that they will sue the United Nations (UN) on behalf of Haiti's cholera victims if the organization does not agree, within the next 60 days, to compensate Haitian cholera victims, apologize for reintroducing the disease to the country through its peacekeepers, and launch an effort to improve sanitation.
The announcement came as a response to a February 2013 letter from the U.N. that IJDH says dismissed its claims for relief and reparations, and failed to refer to any international or domestic law in doing so.
IJDH believes that the disease was brought to Haiti by a U.N. peacekeeping battalion from Nepal, where cholera is endemic. Dr. Jean Ford Figaro, a Haitian doctor speaking for the lawsuit, said that Haiti had not had a problem with cholera since the 1800s - that is, until 2010 when the Nepalese peacekeepers came to help the country after a devastating earthquake.
According to IJDH, an evaluation of public health facilities treating Haitians infected with cholera revealed that "[a] lack of funds and supplies has crippled cholera treatment programs in Haiti, leading to unnecessary deaths and increasing the risk for greater outbreaks during the upcoming rainy season."
The UN denies responsibility for the cholera outbreak and has asserted immunity from the cholera victims' claims. However, Ira Kurzban, an attorney representing the victims in the suit said Wednesday, "They may have immunity, but they don't have impunity."