[News] Haiti, Neptune and Privert Hunger Strike

[News at freedomarchives.org]

AHP News - March 7, 2005  - English translation (Unofficial)
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AHP Editorial:

Haiti, or when any and all means are good when it comes to drowning 
opposing views
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Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and former Interior Minister  Jocelerme 
Privert have been on hunger strike for 16 days to protest "their illegal, 
unjust, and unjustified incarceration at the National Penitentiary in 
Port-au-Prince".

The living conditions for these two men who are no longer consuming 
anything except water have seriously deteriorated over the past few days.

This is why alerts are being launched left and right to call for an end to 
what many believe is a complete frame-up of these two men meant to strike a 
blow at the government to which they belonged, the Lavalas government, 
whose supporters have been sorely tested in the populist neighborhoods.

Yvon Neptune and Jocelerme Privert are accused of involvement in a presumed 
massacre allegedly perpetrated by police officers and supporters of the 
Lavalas government in the hamlet of La Scierie, in greater Saint-Marc.

With respect to Mr. Neptune specifically, the accusations against him are 
reportedly based solely on the fact that he visited Saint-Marc two days 
before the alleged events.

What was the nature of his talks with the police? What message did he give 
to them? His accusers do not know. But he is nevertheless guilty of a 
massacre whose very existence remains very difficult to establish thirteen 
months later.

According to the primary accuser, NCHR, the alleged massacre took place on 
February 11, 2004 and resulted in five deaths, a toll that was reported at 
the time by a daily newspaper in Port-au-Prince and by some radio stations.

But, once Mr. Aristide left Haiti on February 29, the number of alleged 
corpses put forward by the primary accuser did not seem to be enough to 
arouse the desired level of emotion. The idea then was to find grounds for 
making sensational finds and thus succeed in routing potential adversaries 
who are viewed as too tough.

It was in this perspective that the toll needed to be adjusted upwards 
until it grew to be more than 50 killed in the alleged massacre. The 
director of NCHR tried to explain that the massacre continued for several 
days, most likely after the sudden departure of  Aristide.

But such things are not all that easy for NCHR, because although the five 
corpses mentioned above, the unfortunate victims of a probable clash 
between rival gangs for control of the port of  Saint-Marc, were able to be 
discovered, this ws not the case for the other 45 bodies.

In response to the question as to what happened to the other 45 bodies, the 
primary accuser said not to worry, that the others were all devoured by 
starving dogs, that is precisely the 45 bodies but presumably not the five 
that were found.

A peasant from La Scierie named Ti Jean commented wryly this past February 
11, the anniversary of the alleged massacre:

"We don't have dogs hungry enough to devour 50 corpses at La Scierie; maybe 
there are dogs like that in Port-au-Prince".

Despite all the inconsistencies relating to the case, Yvon Neptune and 
Jocelerme Privert continue to be kept in prison. Worse yet, they have never 
been brought before a judge as required by the law and have been thus 
imprisoned for nearly a year.

Worse still, in practically all circles, including the diplomatic 
community, many people do not hesitate to to say that the accusations 
against them do not hold water.

Do they feel they have gone so far that they can not reverse course.

Many ask how, if a serious investigation is to be undertaken, those 
inquiries could be entrusted to people from RAMICOS, the violent 
organization of the former anti-Aristide opposition in Saint-Marc, without 
losing all credibility.

It is also imperative to focus on the cases of many former prisoners who 
have been walking the streets since the insurrection of February 2004, as 
well as on the question of the rebels who were responsible for deaths 
across the country, who looted and destroyed many State facilities.

All two-tracked systems of justice that look more like a settling of 
political scores must be rejected.

Along the same lines, many are asking why some human rights organizations 
have not condemned the violence of February 28, and why some sectors are 
upset at MINUSTAH for having prevented the police from approaching Friday's 
demonstration.

It is as if one were to say to the foreign soldiers: it is not up to you to 
prevent us from deciding whether our compatriots live or die as we intend. 
Otherwise, how can one explain the attacks that rained down on the UN 
mission, which was denounced five days earlier for having failed to prevent 
peaceful demonstrators from being shot.

Many people are losing their heads over the elections. As if anything goes 
given the high stakes.

But the international community and the UN have a heavy responsibility 
because they promised to change the direction of things in Haiti, to 
correct the very serious errors of the past by working with the government 
named after the departure of Aristide.

Unfortunately, today's climate of intolerance outdoes even the period of 
the coup d'état of 1991.

Yesterday at least the press, the human rights organizations and other 
pressure groups relayed information about the abuses of all types... Today 
there is silence in every latitude.

Indeed, how many of these groups raised their voices against the killers of 
Jimmy Charles, Abdias Jean and all the others? How many raised their voices 
against the bloodshed left by the violent dispersion of the February 28th 
demonstration?

On the contrary, they strive to find accusations that could justify the 
abuses.

When a very few institutions and individuals spoke out to break the 
silence, they were insulted, threatened and accused.

And it is in this manner that one believes one can reassure the population 
that is being asked to participate in elections.

The actors and their supporters who espouse the gospel of silence and 
complicity try to explain their choice by the fact that people refused to 
support their cause in the recent past. But they forget that the mission 
they had given themselves was to promote justice, put an end to abuses and 
facilitate national reconciliation.

Unfortunately, no sound system of justice can put up with extra-judicial 
executions, repression of peaceful demonstrators and complicity with silence.

We must rid ourselves of the burnt out residue and find good paths forward, 
paths that will actually lead to national reconciliation.

Otherwise, if we act as we are doing today, we will not go anywhere.



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Congresswoman Maxine Waters affirms her determination to do what she can to 
help obtain the release of Yvon Neptune, whose hunger strike is in its 16th 
day
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Port-au-Prince,  March 7, 2005 (AHP)- On a mission to Haiti lasting several 
hours, U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters again called for the release of 
former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune as well as all other political prisoners.

Maxine Waters expressed serious concern for the life of Yvon Neptune who is 
in his 16th day of a hunger strike at the National penitentiary and whose 
health has considerably deteriorated.

"We are going to do all we can to persuade Mr. Neptune to end his hunger 
strike and also to obtain his release", said the congresswoman.

Ms. Waters indicated that the former Prime Minister categorically refused 
to end his hunger strike, insisting that he is a political prisoner.

"It would be immoral for the interim government to let Yvon Neptune die in 
prison while no charges have been filed against him", said Ms. Waters. The 
interim government, which presents itself as a defender of democracy should 
release Yvon Neptune immediately, she said.

She declared that she does not see why the interim government persists in 
wanting to project a more catastrophic image of Haiti to the outside world.

One of the attorneys who accompanied the delegation, Mr. Ira Kurzban, was 
forbidden to enter the capital by the interim authorities.

As a result, Mr. Kurzban had to return immediately to the United States.



AHP March 7,  2005 3:20 PM


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