[News] Haiti - Father Jean Juste conditionally released!

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Folks,

Just got the phone call to say that Father Jean-Juste has been released. I 
have not spoken yet with him directly as of yet. But we information that 
this is not an unconditional release and that Fr. Jean Juste had been taken 
to the Judicial Police headquarters, but they let him go home for the 
weekend, saying that he needed to come back on Monday.

Point is, we rush this info to the Network and to thank all who made calls 
to MINUSTHA asking for the father's release. Thank you so much. We must 
keep watch on Monday to be sure the father receives due process.

Obviously, there is credible evidence of systematic State repression and we 
know that the Noreiga/Foley death regime in Haiti have declared war on the 
people. Their singular objective seems to be to break the back of the 
majority in Haiti who are insisting on the return to Constitutional rule, 
release of the political prisoners and a stop to the U.N. sanctioned 
slaughter in the poor neighborhoods.

We note that the allege purpose of the UN military operations in Site 
Soleil and Bel Air are for "disarmament." Yet, civilians continue to be 
slaughtered, but the UN commanders have given NO REPORT of gun 
confiscations. They only kill, kill, kill - babies, grandparents, pregnant 
women, even people in wheelchairs and say they are bringing peace and security.

Yesterday, when I spoke to father Jean Juste while he was still in Miami, 
transcribing that crazy woman's radio accusations so he could let the 
international community know the various attacks against him, he said he 
was tired of little children dying, tired of the slaughtered, the inability 
to bury everyone, the maggots eating the unclaimed at the morgue, the young 
children being brought to him with exploding bullets in their stomachs 
instead of food.

In our opinion, the intent of this current aggressions in Haiti appears to 
be to put everyone in prison who have a rapport with the people of Haiti 
and let the assassins free, such as the ex-soldiers who were just recently 
acquitted in the Raboteau judgment. The Coup insiders appear to believe 
that Father Jean Juste represents another Aristide and they did not 
destabalize Haiti to this point so that another "Aristide" would come to 
power in Haiti. Thus, the word is that the Coup Regime and it's 
International backers are disposed to keep father Jean Juste in custody, 
like they have Prime Minister Neptune, until their "elections" are held and 
their hand-picked candidate (puppet) have been "elected."

But the people of Haiti vow to bring back Constitutional rule no matter how 
long it takes. It costs $25 million dollars per month for MINUSTHA soldiers 
to be in Haiti slaughtering the people as they did on July 6 and acting as 
the "satisfied" occupation force for the US they have come to be.

Yet despite the repression, the people continue to protest. Less than 3% 
have registered for these farce of elections. In fact, the people of Haiti 
have just renamed Route 9 in Haiti, a major thoroughfare: "Dread Wilme 
Boulevard".

Thousands have fallen because of this Bush regime change. Haiti has no 
security, less infrastructure than it had before the Coup D'etat and no 
authorized legal entity capable of stopping these arbitrary arrests, 
killings of journalists, babies, pregnant women, old man, young man and 
reversing this travesty.

As usual the promises are made to give "aid" to Haiti 1.4 billion promised 
since last July, 2004. But the people only see poor soldiers from poor 
Latin American countries in Haiti getting paid $25 million per month to 
repress, slaughter and back up the former Haitian military and guys like 
Guy Phillipe while they starve.


Yesterday, 5,000 Haitians reportedly marched to peacefully protest the UN 
slaughers, the arbitrary arrest and to demand return of President Aristide. 
But the UN continued the killing spree and pacification program: Six more 
Haitian civilians were reported killed by UN forces in the Boston 
neighborhood of Cite Soleil [including three children, aged 9, 5 and 4.

When will the world say no and stand on the right side of history? Against 
the humiliation, repression, arbitrary arrests, and UN occupation force 
covering up the fleecing of state industry assets and resources by foreign 
multinational corporations and the war profiteers masturbating of Haitian 
pain, death and humiliation? Stand for justice for the people slaughtered 
by the UN troops on July 6, 2005 at Cite Soleil? How long before these 
troops are brought before the International Criminal Court for these war 
crimes against Haitian civilians, along with US citizens formenting 
violence and slaughter in Haiti, such as, Roger Noreiga, James Foley and 
Andy Apaid, Jr.? How long before the inherent dignity of each Haitian, the 
equal and inalienable rights to Haitian life, freedom and justice be 
respected? In sum, how long before the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights apply to us Haitians?.(http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html)



Marguerite Laurent, Esq.
Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
July 15, 2005

************

Report on the July 13 Meeting with the Brazilian Consolate in Miami

A delegation of 5 people met with the Brazilian Consul General Joad Almino, 
who spent the better part of 20 minutes in his private office on the phone 
with the Brazilian MINUSTAH folks  clarifying the flyer we handed him 
regarding the July 6th massacre., which we took from the Haiti Action web 
site.  He addressed us politely and patiently allowed us each to voice our 
concerns, Father Jean-Just opened the discussions with the facts regarding 
July 6th, and presented the Consul General with a Flyer as well as 
literature describing the agenda of the Fanmi Lavalas Party and other 
literature of the suffering and History of the Haitian people, Father Gerry 
then  put forth the demands for (the return of the President and 
constitutional order, the freedom of Political Prisoners including Yvon 
Neptune and Annette Auguste, end to the Genocide of poor Haitians, and the 
human rights abuses, and a return to the programs started by the Fanmi 
Lavalas Party (education, health care, clean water, farming) etc.  He again 
implored the Brazilian Consul to help in whatever way he could to get work 
to President Lula regarding the concentration camp situation which the 
citizens of Cite Soleil are forced to live, and the acts of genocide 
perpetrated against them, he spoke about eh political prisoners, the 
children and the structural violence against the poor.  The consular 
General was clearly physically moved by the information and explained that 
we was not prepared for such a discussion but would do his best to help.

Jack spoke about the Irony of the leftist Workers Party playing a 
repressive role in Haiti after freeing its people from decades of 
repression under the previous military dictatorship, he implored the 
Consular General to appeal to Lulas leftist philosophy which liberated his 
country and made the connection with Aristide's work in Haiti, he made the 
connection of Brazil  repressing the will and constitution of the majority 
of Haitian people, doing the same thing which had been done to them,  he 
made a strong point regarding Brazils entry into imperialist politics by 
assuming the role the United States orchestrated for them as leaders of the 
Security Counsel.   Jack also spoke about the elections and that as long as 
there was no peace there could be no elections.

Lavarice spoke about the University built under Aristide (I don't know the 
name of it) ,  which Brazil had closed down, the Consul general seemed to 
know nothing about it, but would get an explanation. Lavarice implored the 
consul General to work to seek a peaceful alternative to the present 
situation, and made the point that Brazil did not sit and speak with the 
elected officials of Haiti upon entry into the country, in fact they 
watched while Lavalas  Government representatives, teachers, workers, 
children were detained, arrested and killed.

I spoke in some detail regarding the deteriorating social service 
infrastructure of the health care system. That these programs were already 
in place and have now fallen apart because there is no capacity to run 
them.  He informed us that Brazil and France were engaged in creating a 
health care program through the World Bank to help Haiti and that Brazil 
would continue to Help Haiti rebuild and would lead this effort with the 
help of the world bank.  We again informed him that the President of 
Haiti  was elected by his people to do that. I also reminded the Consul 
that Brazil had the largest number of Africans living outside of Africa 
today and that in Haiti Africans elected their President and he was removed 
against the will of those who elected him, an unconstitutional act, that 
there was never any dialogue with Lavalas only a dialogue with Apaid who 
runs a factor of nearly 4,000 people who he pays $1.50 and Lula being a 
friend of  the workers and leader of a union should be on the side of the 
workers who are continually detained, I named Lulu Cherry and Apolon.

And so the debate continued.

Father Jean-Juste ended the meeting by saying that what is immediately 
needed is an end to the war against the Haitian poor and specifically the 
citizens of Cite Soleil need to have the concentration camp barriers 
removed so they can go on with their lives and asked Mr. Almino to take 
this message to President Lula, he promised us he would, and also would 
accept a detailed letter to give to Lula.  We decided to produce such a 
letter in the next week or so and to step up our demonstrations at the 
Brazilian Consulate.

Both the Consular General and his aid felt that they had learned something 
important not only about their own government but also about Haiti, but 
pointed out that their business it about trade and visas not international 
politics.

I would like to add that those organizations planning demonstrations at 
Brazilians consulates should be armed with facts, whenever we mention facts 
about abuse please make sure to have the organization presenting those 
facts e.g.. Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti etc.( The consul 
general consistently repeated the aim of the Brazilian UN force as only and 
totally a peace keeping force but that they would begin projects to help 
rebuild the country, but played no part the in eh violence  so if we 
have  facts about which forces are doing the killing this is extremely 
important, when we visit the consul general  we must have a written list of 
demands, those demands should reflect the demands of Lavalas, with some 
specific suggestions that the Consulate can take (either by organizing a 
bilateral meeting with the representative of the Brazilian Government, or 
presenting our petitions and letters) We should also ask for a timetable on 
any initiative they agree to.  Please record the outcomes of your meetings 
so that information can be shared.


Carolyn

**********
Movement Gathers Steam to Protest UN Massacres in Cite Soleil

Dear July 21st Organizers,

Four things to bear in mind, as we prepare for this new phase in the struggle.

1.  We have an opening here. This is a rare moment. The next few weeks are 
critical to taking advantage of this opportunity to break open the 
information blockade...build new alliances...isolate the imperialists and 
pro-coup forces.

2.  Note that this Update has been revised to include the last paragraph:
Let us not forget, as we focus on the UN this time, that these massacres of 
Haitian people are "made in the USA", and the UN forces are a proxy force 
doing the dirty work for the US government and their partners in crime.  I 
propose that we include this idea in leaflets, press statements, etc. -- 
without diluting our focus on the big UN role in this phase of the 
continuing war against Haiti's poor majority.

3.   Also, we're taking our cue from the defiant mass movement in Haiti -- 
they want the UN out, they want the US out, they want the coup regime out 
-- three different ways of saying the same thing.

4.   One more thing, broader forces are getting involved - central American 
and Latin American solidarity groups, for  example. We need to grab this 
opening and push hard to raise their level of awareness and activity around 
Haiti, and develop a real solidarity relationship.

People are working harder. The love and solidarity is getting stronger ... 
I can feel it.

Dave

             UPDATE  ON 7-21 CITE SOLEIL MASSACRE PROTESTS

     Dear Friends,

     Energetic organizing is taking place for the Thursday, July 21st 
protests against the massacre of civilians by UN troops in Cite Soleil on 
July 6th, and the continued atrocities being committed by UN troops and 
Haitian National Police. Trade Unionists in Brazil will join the July 21 
coordinated protests. See below for details.

     Today's big protest in Cite Soleil -- 5,000 defy UN troops despite 
continued UN killing spree

     Today July 14th, shortly after midnight, six more Haitian civilians 
were reported killed by UN forces in the Boston neighborhood of Cite Soleil 
[including three children, aged 9, 5 and 4] -- in what activists believed 
was an attempt to intimidate people from participating in a big 
demonstration scheduled for later today in Cite Soleil. [Today's 
demonstration had been announced two days ago by the Lavalas movement in 
Cite Soleil, to protest the July 6th massacre there. ]

     But the Cite Soleil residents were not to be intimidated. People threw 
rocks and bottles at the soldiers and armored vehicles of MINUSTAH, and 
blocked entrances so more armored vehicles could not enter the area.

     At 10:30 a.m. today, more than 5,000 people turned out for the big 
demonstration that had been called by Lavalas. The demonstrators chanted 
for the return of President Aristide,  and demanded prison for the leaders 
and backers of the coup regime. They also demanded that the illegal regime 
leave the country, so that President Aristide could return and finish his 
mandate, at which time free, fair and democratic elections could be organized.

     Asked why the people of Cite Soleil continue to demonstrate, in 
defiance of the continued murderous assaults by UN and police forces, 
journalist Georges Honorat said, "People in Haiti see no choice but to 
fight." He described the wealthy Haitian elite, death squad elements and 
the CIA had intervened three times to torpedo the democratic choice of the 
Haitian people in an election -- with each intervention resulting in 
thousands of death squad killings. First, in the 1987 elections, sabotaged 
by armed gangs of Duvalierists. Second, the 1991 coup. Third, the 2004 coup.
     "This is what motivates the Haitian people to continue to fight until 
victory." [Thanks to Flashpoints Radio, KPFA,
     for a report by Kevin Pina and Georges Honorat of Haiti Progres 
newspaper, of which this is a summary.]

     Update on Demonstrations to protest the July 6th UN  massacre in Cite 
Soleil and continued UN killings  -- Unionists will protest in Brazil on 7/21

     *** On July 13th -- Demonstration at Brazil consulate in Miami-- got 
TV coverage. Led by Father Gerard Jean-Juste, a delegation met for almost 
three hours with Brazilian officials in the consulate.

     *** This Saturday, July 16th -- Big demonstration at the UN in New York

     *** Thursday, July 21st --  Coordinated, multi-city protests, mostly 
at Brazil consulates, since Brazil is commanding the UN military contingent 
in Haiti...

           1.  Strong preparations in Montreal, New York, Miami and San 
Francisco
           2.  Washington DC just announced a protest at the Brazil embassy
           3.  Word is spreading to other US and Canadian cities
           4.  Trade unionists in Brazil will protest the involvement of 
Brazil in the massacres, as commander of the UN forces in Haiti.

     Let us not forget, as we focus on the UN this time, that these 
massacres of Haitian people are "made in the USA", and the UN forces are a 
proxy force doing the dirty work for the US government and their partners 
in crime.

     Please keep us informed of your activities.

     In solidarity,


     Dave Welsh
     Labor/Human Rights Delegation to Haiti
     510-898-1544
     510-847-8657 cell
     sub at sonic.net



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