[News] Haiti - Hastings students file complaint supporting Neptune

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Law students at Hastings College of the Law lodge a complaint before the 
CIDH in the name of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune

----------
San Francisco, April 21, 2005.  Law Students at the Hastings College of the 
Law of California University lodged a complaint together with Haitian and 
American lawyers, before the Inter American Commission of Human Rights 
(CIDH) in the name of former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune.

Haiti has been living an unstable political situation since the Coup d’état 
that overthrew President Aristide in February 2004.  Yvon Neptune, who was 
the last constitutional prime minister of Haiti, has been illegally held in 
prison since June 2004.

Mr. Neptune has been deprived from his freedom for almost a year and was 
never heard before a judge, despite the constitutional constraint that 
demands that a detainee is not kept over 48 hours without judicial 
authorization. «Mr. Neptune’s extended detention has put his life in great 
danger, » one law student at Hastings, Kate Orlovsky, explained.

« He escaped at least two murder attempts, as well as a massacre at the 
central prison. Last February 20th, to protest against his extended 
detention and his bad conditions of detention, he began a hunger strike 
that ended at the hospital, she recalled.

In their complaint, the students demand an immediate action by the CIDH in 
order to prevent a greater threat on Mr. Neptune’s life.

On top of demanding Mr. Neptune’s immediate release from his illegal 
detention, the petition demands an international surveillance and 
supervision of Haitian prisons.

The CIDH will end this Friday a 4-day mission in Haiti where it observed 
the situation of human rights.

In parallel, the member of the Chamber of Democrat Representatives of 
California Maxine Waters demanded Yvon Neptune’s immediate release and 
without condition. «He never committed any crime and the unfounded 
accusations against him are simply attempts to take away any chances of 
being designated as a candidate to presidency.

M. Neptune is accused by two organizations known to be close to the 
government, the NCHR and the RAMICOS, of being involved in a massacre that 
was reportedly committed at the Scierie (Saint-Marc). Leader of the NCHR, 
Pierre Espérance declared that the 50 persons who were killed in the 
so-called massacre were all reportedly eaten by hungry dogs.

The imprisonment and murder of Lavalas members is a tactic used by the 
illegitimate government to keep them away from the electoral course next 
November. To have true democracy in Haiti, we must make sure that members 
of the Lavalas party, including Prime Minister Neptune, can participate 
fully and without compromises”, the complaint also declared.

For his part, Bill Fletcher Jr., President of the TransAfrica Forum 
underlined that the case of Prime Minister Neptune is nothing but a large 
comedy.

AHP April 21, 2005 12:45 PM

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20050422/0c9d302c/attachment.htm>