[News] Haiti - Demand the Release of Kevin Pina & Jean Ristil

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Urgent Action Alert -- from the Haiti Action Committee

Demand release of US Filmmaker Kevin Pina and Haitian Journalist Jean 
Ristil! Stop arbitrary arrests and detentions!

On Friday September 9, at approximately 3 p.m., Haitian police wearing 
black masks from the Delmas police station entered Father Gerard 
Jean-Juste's St. Claire church and began searching the presbytery, 
according to people at the church. Rev. Jean-Juste is a leading advocate of 
human rights in Haiti and an Amnesty International-designated prisoner of 
conscience. Upon seeing the police invade the church, people called as many 
journalists as they could.

US filmmaker and journalist Kevin Pina and Haitian journalist Jean Ristil 
Jean-Baptiste responded to the call, arrived at the scene to cover the 
story, and were arrested. The police brought both journalists to the Delmas 
33 police station where they remain incarcerated.

According to an AP dispatch in Newsday, Pina was detained "after filming 
the police as they searched the church of the Rev. Jean-Juste. Jean Ristil, 
a Haitian who was working for the Associated Press, was detained as he 
tried to photograph the arrest."

A US human rights team went to the lock-up unit Friday night to attempt to 
clarify the reasons for the arrest and to ensure that the two men were 
being properly treated.

Kevin is one of the few US journalists who have consistently dared to be on 
the scene in Haiti and to tell the truth about the repression occurring 
under the coup regime. Jean is a courageous and professional young Haitian 
journalist. Both journalists were arrested on September 9th while covering 
this important development in the persecution of Father Jean-Juste, who is 
being held as a political prisoner.

Jean Ristil and Kevin Pina need your immediate support to protect their 
lives, obtain their release from captivity, and ensure their ability to 
continue doing their job as journalists without any further threats, 
harassment or intimidation.


Please email, call and/or fax the following UN and US officials over the 
weekend and again on Monday.

US Officials on Haiti:
U.S. Charge d'Affaires, Timothy Carney
United States Embassy, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Telephones: 011-509-223-4711, or 222-0200 or 0354
Fax: 011-509-223-1641 or 9038
Email to Dana Banks, Human Rights Officer:
<http://us.f331.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=BanksD@state.gov>BanksD at state.gov
OVER THE WEEKEND -- Call 011-509-222-0200 and press "0" for emergency, to 
get a live person.

UN Leadership in Haiti:
Juan Gabriel Valdes
Special Representative of the UN Sec.-General to Haiti
Ph: 011-509-244-9650
Fax: 011-509-244-3512
<http://us.f331.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=valdes@un.org>valdes at un.org

UN Civilian Police in Haiti:
Graham Muir, Chief, UNPOL
<http://us.f331.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=muir@un.org>muir at un.org

UN Human Rights Officials in Haiti:
Thierry Fagart
Ph: 011- 509-510-3183 ext. 6360
<http://us.f331.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=fagart@un.org>fagart at un.org

Officials of the Haiti's de facto regime:
Henri Dorleans, Minister of Justice
011-509-245-5856

For a more complete list of people to contact and for more information on 
this situation, go to:
<http://www.haitiaction.net/>www.haitiaction.net

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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