Uruguay sacks UN official in Haiti sex attack probe
Published on 5 September 2011 - 1:04am
Uruguay announced it has sacked a navy commander with the UN mission in Haiti after a video was circulated of an alleged sexual assault on a young Haitian man by members of a Uruguayan peacekeeping unit.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that in addition to the dismissal of the official -- who was not immediately named -- a military justice board had been convened and paperwork for the return home of the five allegedly involved had been started.
"The navy wants to go beyond the simple fact of the video (to determine) if there are other violations of conduct," spokesman Sergio Bique told local media. The suspects will be tried and sentenced appropriately, he stressed.
In Haiti, Magistrate Paul Tarte said Friday that officials were examining testimony from the alleged suspect and images of the incident taken by a cell telephone camera at the base in southern Haiti, which have also been circulated on the Internet. Medical evidence of the attack also was obtained.
More:
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/uruguay-sacks-un-official-haiti-sex-attack-probe-0