PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti has officially inaugurated the National Committee for Restitution and Reparation (CNHRR) amid concerns that France has recognised slavery as a crime against humanity but refuses to make reparations for this crime.
Members of the Haitian National Committee for Restitution and Reparation (CNHRR), being officially sworn in at at the Villa d’Accueil, on MondayPresident pro tempore of the Transitional Council, Laurent Saint Cyr, on Monday handed out the official documents to the 21-member Committee, that includes a representative from the Presidency, one from the Prime Minister’s Office and another from the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The Committee also includes five representatives from civil society, and 12 prominent figures from the academic and scientific worlds of Haiti and abroad.
“With this decision, the Haitian government entrusts you with an unprecedented responsibility : to remind the world that restorative justice is not a luxury, but a necessity,” Saint Cyr said.
Saint-Cyr reaffirmed the Presidential Transitional Council’s commitment to supporting the Committee in fulfilling its mandate and urged its members to be guided, in their actions, by excellence, scientific rigor, and unconditional love for their country.
The official inauguration of the CNHRR comes less than five months after French President, Emmanuel Macron, in a message marking the bicentennial of Haiti’s independence debt, noted that on April 17, 1825, by ordinance, King Charles X of France while recognising Haiti’s independence, imposed a heavy burden on it.
“Despite the effective conquest of its freedom, as early as 1804, by arms and blood, the last of the Kings of France, in exchange for recognition and an end to hostilities, subjected the people of Haiti to a very heavy financial indemnity, the payment of which would be spread over decades. This decision placed a price on the freedom of a young nation, which, from its very inception, was confronted with the unjust force of history,” Macron said in a statement published by the Élysée Palace .
He said as the country observes the bicentennial, “we must, here as elsewhere, face this history head on, with clarity, courage, and truth.
“Haiti was born of a revolution, faithful to the spirit of 1789, which brilliantly affirmed the universal principles of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. This struggle in Haiti, in harmony with the ideals of the French Revolution, should have offered France and Haiti the opportunity to walk a common path.
“But the forces of counterrevolution since 1814, the restoration of the Bourbons and the monarchy, have decided otherwise regarding the writing of history,” he said, noting that to “to recognize the truth of history is to reject forgetting and erasure.
“For France, it also means accepting its share of truth in the construction of memory, a painful one for Haiti, which began in 1825. The truth of history must not create a divide; on the contrary, it must be the bridge that unites what is scattered. In this spirit and with this goal in mind, we must now open all spaces for dialogue and mutual understanding”
Marcon said then that he intends to establish a Joint Franco-Haitian Commission tasked with examining “our shared past and shedding light on all its dimensions.
“Once this necessary and indispensable work is completed, this Commission will propose recommendations to both governments to draw lessons from it and build a more peaceful future.”
He said the Commission, composed of historians from both countries, will explore two centuries of history, including the impact of the 1825 indemnity on Haiti, analyse the representations and shared memories of this episode between the two countries, and address the development of Franco-Haitian relations in the 20th century.
“Its work must be part of a historical approach of dialogue and action. We must consider together how to better convey this history in our two countries, strengthen educational and cultural cooperation, and build a renewed relationship between France and Haiti, based on listening, respect, and solidarity.”
Reacting to the French President’s statement, the CNHRR wrote that Macron has taken a step in the right direction.
“But a very small step. A temporizing step that allows us to buy time and wait and see. In reality, France shows no intention of addressing the issue of restitution directly and resolutely. Certainly, there is recognition of the original injustice and the need to build a better relationship between our two peoples, but nothing more”.
The CNHRR said that the struggle for the restitution of the ransom of Independence must therefore continue and intensify.
”The establishment of a multidisciplinary binational commission with the mission of addressing the issue of restitution in all its dimensions is the true starting point for the restorative justice we all await.”
