US embassy cable - 03SANTODOMINGO4930

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 004930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR (MCISAAC) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, SMIG, DR 
SUBJECT: STORY OF HAITIAN CADAVERS ALONG BORDER STILL 
UNCLEAR 
 
Classified By: ECOPOL COUNSELOR MICHAEL MEIGS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B/D) 
 
1. (C) The Dominican Committee on Human Rights announced on 
September 3 that approximately 14 Haitian bodies had been 
discovered in Pedernales, a province along the 
Dominican-Haitian border.  Virgilio Almanzar, chairperson of 
the committee, told Poloffs that he personally saw only 7 
skeletons during a recent trip to the site, but expected to 
find more on a follow-up visit next week.  Almanzar confirmed 
that the Attorney General,s office in cooperation with Armed 
Forces officials would send a team to the border to 
investigate the murder allegations.  The details of what 
happened remain sketchy.  During a September 10 meeting with 
Poloffs, Almanzar claimed that one of the female victims had 
been sexually assaulted before being killed.  However, 
Almanzar also admitted that two of the victims had died of 
hunger or dehydration, and wild dogs had eaten some of the 
bodies. 
 
2. (C) Almanzar said Army officers along the border 
frequently accept bribes in determining which Haitians should 
or should not be allowed entry into the Dominican Republic, 
an issue that has been covered in Human Rights Reports. 
According to Almanzar, some Army officers known to 
assassinate Haitians are also drug traffickers and pay off 
Dominican military intelligence officials to keep their jobs. 
 
3. (C) Comment:  Even though he is a respected human rights 
consultant in civil society, Almanzar rarely produces hard 
evidence to support his allegations.  That said, it is 
difficult to gather solid information from any source on 
Haitian migrants given the porous border situation and a 
culture permeated by corruption. 
 
HERTELL