[News] Haitian students and demonstrators are asking for arrest of Latortue and Boniface

[Anti-Imperialist News]

From: erzilidanto at yahoo.com


********************
Prison killings and bloodbath mark and launch Preval's inauguration by HLLN,
May 14, 2006


There was a demonstration inside the National Penitentiary prison earlier
today (May 14, 2006) and the families on the outside where supporting the
prisoners’ demands. It seems that many of the prisoners had gotten out of
their prison cells, but where still within the prison walls. Many of the
prisoners climbed on top of the wall-fence that surrounds the jail and where
raising the bodies of some of their friends. Apparently 7 to 12 (we've even
been told 22) detainees were killed inside the prison at the National
Penitentiary today. While CIMO (Haitian police) was inside putting down the
prisoner riot. There are reports of the Jordanian soldiers entering the
prison and shooting the unarmed prisoners (some say Chinese soldiers were
also taking part in the shooting) along with the Haitian police and guards.

Apparently throughout the past week, the prisoners have been receiving more
brutal beatings than usual from their guards because of their hopes,
anticipation of liberation because of the inauguration. Many of the
injured were being transported to the hospital all week or simply came up
disappeared, according to family members. The families demonstrating on the
outside all week are beside themselves with worry and grief. Today, the
prisoners suddenly found the cell doors open. No one knows how all the cell
doors got open at around the same time, but everyone remmembers the December
1, 2005 inside job where up to 107 unarmed Haitian prisoners were slaughtered
by the guards while US Secretary of State Colin Powell was visiting the de
factos the US imposed on Haiti. Today, the prisoners came out of their cells
and some went on top of the guard fence singing: "Ohhh, Preval, se ou menm
nou t ap tan", -"Ohh, Preval you are what we were waiting for.." and while
they were singing the guards started shooting them. They continued to sing,
lifting the bodies of their fallen comrades. Some of the wounded were lifted
up, so mothers and relatives who were outside starting screaming, wailing, as
they recognized their sons or husbands who were among the dead and wounded
bodies being lifted up by the prisoners. The crying outside became louder
than the prisoners' singing or the sustained UN/cimo soldiers shooting of the
detainees. The situation outside the National Penitentiary is still not calm
as of the writing of this briefing.

There are three large ceremonies expected for the inauguration of Preval
today: the swearing-in at the Legislative Palace, the ceremony at the
Port-au-Prince Cathedral (going on right now 2:12pm) and then a ceremony to
be held at the National Palace. MINUSTHA has barred the National Palace so
that the demonstrators cannot gather. This is not a Haitian decision.
MINUSTHA decided nobody is going in front of the Palace. But the people on
the streets say they intend to go in front of the National Palace to demand
not only release of the prisoners, justice for the victims of the UN
soldiers, return of Aristide but the arrest of the Boca Raton regime,
especially Boniface and Latortue.

After the swearing-in ceremony of Rene Preval earlier today, the poor
majority gathered outside, who had fought so hard to stop the UN/US
occupation and Latortue’s dictatorship, started chanting loudly and drowning
everything else: "vle pa vle fò li tounen" - demanding Aristide's return. The
news is, the Haitian folks demonstrating, waited until after Preval was sworn
in and then drowned out everything else that followed. Apparently Preval
refused for the illegal Boniface to put the Presidential sash on him,
accepted it from someone else, reportedly the President of the Senate, Joseph
Lambert. The situation is very tense. The people in the streets are demanding
the arrest of Boniface and Latortue, immediately. There is frustration and
resentment that the people of Haiti, the majority who went out to vote feel
they are being excluded from the inauguration activities of a President they
elected. It's ironic to note, that those at the forefront calling for the
arrest of Boniface, Latortue, Madame Comeau Coicou, Leon Charles, Bernard
Gousse, Madame Comeau Denis are the very GNBist students who had called for
the resignation of Aristide.

It's been a long day. Haitians we talked to indicated that the de factos
purposely discouraged and prevented the people who had elected Preval,
especially members of the Lavalas party and those who led the resistance to
the Boca Raton regime and UN occupation from attending and participating at
the three official ceremonies. But the people say they will not be UNINVITED
in their own country and will not be prevented from participating in the
governance of their own country by foreigners and their Haitian technocrats
and that if the de facto regime and MINUSTHA prevent the people from
peacefully demonstrating to demand release of the political prisoners, return
of President Aristide, and the arrest of Boniface and Latortue, many more
will die before the day is over. One Haitian man outside demonstrating told
us, he'd rather die standing up than live on his knees or as a zombie puppet
like Boniface, Latortue and the other Haitian Group 184 Restaveks/uncle toms.

Ezili Danto
May 14, 2006 at 2:20pm

*********************************
Forwarded by the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
**********************************

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/20060515/d79af3ce/attachment.htm>