Doe v. Constant, 1989-2009 July 8 and undated
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- Physical description:
- 7.5 boxes
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In addition to filed motions and pleadings, this case also includes mental health evaluations, which are included in trial exhibit documents. Several folders also contain copies of unclassified government documents and transcripts from mid-1990s U.S. Congressional sessions discussing various policies impacting Haiti, the latter of which includes marginalia identifying key points for the CJA's casework. Materials also contain documents related to the Center for Constitutional Rights' 1995 case, Belance v. FRAPH, including transcripts of Constant's deposition during this earlier case. Audiovisual materials within this Case File include Constant's appearance on the television program "60 Minutes," a recording of Constant's testimony given in 2007, and a documentary entitled "Haiti: Harvest of Hope."
Materials in this collection may include violent acts, including firsthand accounts and descriptions of torture and violent deaths as well as forensic report images of excavated skeletal remains.
- Biographical / historical:
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During the 1990s, Emmanuel "Toto" Constant founded and led a paramilitary death squad referred to as the Revolutionary Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH) after a 1991 coup ousted then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In this period, not only did FRAPH exercise a campaign of violence against Haitian civilians, but Constant was being paid by the United States' Intelligence services as an informant. Despite Constant's relationships with the United States government, the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit against Constant in 2004 on the grounds of torture and crimes against humanity. A New York court ruled in favor of the CJA, awarding a $19 million judgment.
Parts of the Historical Note were adapted from the CJA's website: "Rape and Death Squad Violence in Haiti: Doe v. Constant" https://cja.org/what-we-do/litigation/doe-v-constant/ (accessed April 14, 2022).
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Access note. Collection contains audiovisual formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.
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