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</font><h5><b>AHP News – May 11, 2004 - English translation
(Unofficial)<br><br>
<br>
<hr>
</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>The Lavalas activist Annette
Auguste was not brought before a judge this Tuesday: Judge Brédy
Fabien was absent from the court house and is accused of playing
along with the power games of Latortue <br><br>
</b></font><hr>
<font face="Trebuchet MS" size=3></font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince,
May 11, 2004 -(AHP)- </b>Fanmi Lavalas activist Annette Auguste (Sò
Anne) was not brought before a judge this Tuesday at the Court of Peace
for the Eastern Section due to the absence of the judge in charge
of the case, Brédy Fabien. <br><br>
Madame Auguste was arrested by US members of the multinational force at
her home during the night on Sunday on the basis of an accusation that
she had made threats against the multinational force, according to its
public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Dave Lapan. However the National
Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR) claims she was arrested because of an
allegation that she was involved in the violent incidents of December 5,
2003, at the School of Social Sciences. <br><br>
A group of women who came to provide support to Sò Anne denounced the
behavior of Judge Brédy Fabien whom they accused of seeking to prolong
the detention of Ms.Auguste. <br><br>
The women chanted slogans against the interim authorities whom they
accused of violating human rights and of resorting to extremely vile
maneuvers to justify their campaigns of persecution against Lavalas.
<br><br>
The women also called on the interim government and its supporters to
remember that they do not enjoy any constitutional legitimacy. <br><br>
The lawyer representing Sò Anne, Mr. Patrick Laurent, also denounced
Judge Brédy Fabien, who, he said, is an instrument at the service of the
Latortue government. <br><br>
Judge Fabien is in the process of playing politics with this case”,
snapped Mr. Laurent, who also said he expects that the Haitian justice
system will take a long time to free itself from the grip of political
power. <br><br>
In the eyes of Mr. Laurent, the procedure used by the U.S. military to
carry out the arrest of Annette Auguste is no different from State
delinquency and thuggish behavior. <br><br>
Members of Sò Anne’s family said that grenades were utilized along with
extensive destruction of property during the military operation.
<br><br>
The director of the National Human Rights and Peace Network, Raymond St
Clair , condemned the behavior of Judge Brédy Fabien, who is charging
ahead with the execution of the four principal wishes of the Latortue
government. <br><br>
Mr. Raymond said he had visited a number of the country’s detention
facilities and had found several cases of detention of Fanmi
Lavalas supporters who were victims of the political persecution launched
against that sector. <br><br>
He also denounced the illegal detention of senior officials and
supporters of Fanmi Lavalas, who don’t event have a right to receive
visits by members of their families. He cited as examples the cases of
the former Interior Minister, Jocelerme Privert and of Harold
Sévère and Anthony Nazaire. <br><br>
<b>AHP May 11, 2004 1:10 PM</b> <br><br>
<hr>
<b>A sister of Sò Anne who was also arrested during the US military
operation Sunday night threatens to file a complaint against the United
States <br><br>
</b></font><hr>
<font face="Trebuchet MS" size=3></font><h5><b></b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince,
May 11, 2004 (AHP)- </b>Raymonde Auguste, an older sister of the
Fanmi Lavalas activist Annette Auguste, called Tuesday for the immediate
and unconditional release of her sister. <br><br>
Sò Anne was arrested Sunday night around midnight by American soldiers
from the multinational force deployed in Haiti. <br><br>
Minimizing the accusations, such as conspiracy, made against her sister,
Raymonde Auguste, asked why the accusers had not proceeded to arrest her
at the place where she was hatching these alleged plots. <br><br>
Mme. Auguste, a U.S. ciizen, also said that her home, which is located on
the same plot of land as that of Sò Anne, suffered considerable
material damage during the operation. She indicated that she intends to
file a complaint backing the United States against the authors of these
acts. <br><br>
Raymonde Auguste denounced the brutal procedures that were utilized, she
said, by the soldiers of the multinational force to arrest Sò Anne and
the members of her family. <br><br>
She expressed outrage at the fact that even a framed photograph of her
mother was smashed. <br><br>
Also arrested herself during the operation, the sister of Sò Anne
spoke of grave violations of her rights as a U.S. citizen. <br><br>
<b>AHP May 11, 2004 2:30 PM</b> <br><br>
<br>
<hr>
<b>Further criticism of the arrests and persecution of senior Fanmi
Lavalas officials and activists</b> <br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<b>Port-au-Prince, May 11, 2004 -(AHP)-</b> The attorney Reynold Georges
criticized Tuesday the arrest of the Fanmi Lavalas activist Annette
Auguste, known as Sò Anne by the multinational force as being an
arbitrary act. <br><br>
According to the Haitian Constitution, any arrests must be carried out
between the hours of 6 AM and 6 PM, except in a case where the suspect is
caught by law enforcement officials in the act of committing a crime,
said Mr. Georges, and, he continued, that provision must be followed when
a judicial warrant is being executed. <br><br>
He said he was outraged that the multinational force acted in a
completely illegal manner, in violation of the laws of the land.
<br><br>
For his part, the former deputy from Trou du Nord, Rudy Hérivaux, said he
sees in this wave of arrests and the hunting down of supporters of Fanmi
Lavalas, a campaign aimed at the systematic dismantling of the party.
<br><br>
Mr. Hérivaux called for the immediate and unconditional release of senior
officials and activists of Fanmi Lavalas who were illegally arrested.
<br><br>
He also said he could not understand how a government and individuals who
recently spoke out once again against alleged dictatorial practices
and who affirmed their desire to create democracy, would today become
gleefully mired in blind repression against the supporters of Fanmi
Lavalas. <br><br>
The leader of the RDC party (Rally of Christian Democrats), Eddy
Volel, called on provisional President Alexandre Boniface to dismiss the
Latortue government on grounds of incompetence and bad faith <br><br>
According to Eddy Volel, the current government has no intention of
working to improve living conditions for the population. <br><br>
He called for a mobilization by the population in order to force the
Latortue government to step down as soon as possible. <br><br>
<br>
</font><h5><b>AHP May 11, 2004 12:05 PM
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