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</font><h5><b>HP News - June 28, 2004 - English translation (Unofficial)
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Reactions to the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune
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</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince, June 28,
2004 -(AHP)- </b>The Fanmi Lavalas Political organization situated the
imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune within the context of
the wave of political persecution launched against leaders and members of
the party Monday. <br><br>
Mr. Neptune has been imprisoned since Sunday at the National Penitentiary
in the center of Port-au-Prince, after he turned himself in to the
police. A pro-government radio station had announced the day before that
a warrant had been issued against him in connection with an alleged
massacre perpetrated, according to the accusation, on February 11 2004 in
a district of Saint-Marc known as la Scierie. <br><br>
Gilvert Angervil, a Fanmi Lavalas spokesperson, denounced what it termed
the indecency of the interim government, which has been furiously
persecuting supporters of Fanmi Lavalas, he said, while the authors of
crimes perpetrated against supporters of the ex-opposition continue to
enjoy total impunity. <br><br>
Gilvert Angervil said that the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yvon
Neptune and other high-level officials of Fanmi Lavalas is part of a
campaign by the Latortue government to persecute people close to the
party to please traffickers of all kinds. <br><br>
For its part, the National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR), which is
reportedly the source of the accusations against Mr. Neptune, expressed
pleasure at the incarceration of the former prime minister, describing
the action as a positive step for Haitian justice. <br><br>
In an interview Monday on Radio Solidarité, NCHR Executive Director
Pierre Espérance said that he has never made an accusation against Yvon
Neptune, but he should provide answers to the questions of the Haitian
justice officials because he was in Saint Marc 48 hours
later. <br><br>
"I never accused Yvon Neptune by name as being someone involved in
the massacre at la Scierie", he insisted. <br><br>
In a press release, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti called on the interim
authorities to open a fair, impartial investigation to prove the
responsibility of Mr. Neptune in the massacre at la Scierie, even though,
it said, the Lavalas government was deeply involved in political violence
in general. <br><br>
The Embassy's note included a request to the Haitian authorities to
respect the dignity of the former prime minister and above all to
guarantee his security. <br><br>
The Embassy also pointed out the crucial and courageous role played by
Mr. Neptune to assure a constitutional and peaceful succession after the
departure into exile of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. <br><br>
The September 30 Foundation denounced the conduct of the Latortue
government which in its view is doing everything it can to throw into
prison or continue the imprisonment of high-level officials and
supporters of Fanmi Lavalas. <br><br>
A spokesperson for the Foundation, Gilbert Elméus, declared he could not
understand the interim government's actions, consisting of persecuting
political adversaries, he said, while guaranteeing total impunity for the
authors of the murders of numerous police officers and members of civil
society and the pillaging of several police stations during the
insurrection by the former opposition. <br><br>
Gilbert Elméus called upon the interim authorities to provide proof that
a massacre actually took place at la Scierie and that former prime
Minister Yvon Neptune was actually involved in such a massacre.
<br><br>
According to Ronald St-Jean, the director of the Committee to Defend the
Rights of the Haitian People (CDPH), the alleged massacre at la Scierie
is no more than a fabrication aimed at justifying the campaign of
persecutions launched by the Latortue government against leaders and
activists of Fanmi Lavalas. <br><br>
Political leaders of the former opposition including Evans Paul (K-Plim),
secretary General of the KID party (Democratic Unity Convention),
expressed satisfaction at the imprisonment of Mr. Neptune.
<br><br>
Supporters of RAMICOS and the former opposition in general in Saint-Marc,
also welcomed the hunting down of partisans of Fanmi Lavalas.
<br><br>
At the same time, a pro-government radio station in Port-au-Prince
broadcast that alongside the good news, there is also bad news.
<br><br>
In this regard, the station claimed to have information that a plot has
been hatched from Africa designed to bring about the failure of the
transition of the interim government of Gérard Latortue. <br><br>
<br>
</font><h5><b>AHP June 28, 2004 3:40 PM<br><br>
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The government prosecutor of Saint-Marc pays a visit to former Prime
Minister Neptune <br>
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</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince, June 28,
2004 -(AHP)- </b>Leslie Jules, the pubic prosecutor of Saint-Marc,
visited former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune Monday at the National
Penitentiary, where he has been incarcerated since Sunday.<br><br>
Mr. Jules also visited former Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert and
former Deputy Amanus Mayette. The prosecutor said he came to learn
about the treatment being given to the three Lavalas
officials. <i> <br><br>
</i>However he furnished no details regarding the date when former Prime
Minister Yvon Neptune would appear before a judge in connection with the
accusation that he was involved in an alleged massacre that is supposed
to have taken place on February 11 in the La Scierie district of
Saint-Marc. <br><br>
In related news, Mr, Neptune refused to meet Sunday with Pierre
Espérance, the director of the National Coalition for Haitian Rights
(NCHR). Mr. Neptune said that Mr. Espérance had made no effort to meet
with him at any previous time to talk about the question of la
Scierie. <br><br>
According to Gilvert Angervil, a Fanmi Lavalas spokesperson who spoke
with Mr. Neptune, Pierre Espérance has been bent on exclusively defending
the position of Ramicos, an armed organization allied with the
former opposition. <br><br>
Pierre Espérance has stated that 50 people were killed in the alleged
massacre at la Scierie. When asked why the bodies were not discovered,
Mr. Espérance had sought to convince people that they bodies as well as
their bones had been eaten by hungry dogs. <br><br>
Several foreign journalists and members of international human rights
organizations who traveled to the scene following the statements made by
NCHR have said they had not found any evidence of a massacre.
<br><br>
Some foreign journalists had said "only five bodies were found,
without there being any information to explain under what circumstance
they were killed". <br><br>
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</font><h5><b>AHP June 28, 2004 3:40 PM<br><br>
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Latortue is "saddened" by the imprisonment of Yvon Neptune,
after having accused Mr. Neptune of involvement in the most recent
violence that has taken place in Haiti <br>
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</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince, June 28,
2004 -(AHP)-</b> Interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue, said he is sad
that former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune now finds himself in
prison. <br><br>
Gérard Latortue sought to make people believe that the arrest of Mr.
Neptune has nothing to do with politics but is instead a case with a
judicial basis. <br><br>
He said he hopes that justice officials will treat this case promptly and
with all appropriate seriousness with regard to the rights of the
detainee. <br><br>
Mr. Latortue, responding to a question about the killing of the director
of Air-France and the fire that destroyed several businesses on the Rue
des Fronts-Forts, tried to blame these acts on President Aristide and
former prime Minister Yvon Neptune, suggesting that these
acts resulted from their call to the population for a peaceful
mobilization to bring about respect for human rights.
<br><br>
Gérard Latortue accused Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Yvon Neptune in
particular of wishing to destabilize the country. <br><br>
Shortly before a warrant was issued to arrest Mr. Neptune, he wrote a
letter to U.S. President Georges Bush, French President Jacques Chirac,
and to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, denouncing the maneuvers of the
interim government and its supporters aimed at assassinating him or
throwing him into prison. <br><br>
Yvon Neptune had especially condemned the the persecution and threats
that placed his own security in doubt. <br><br>
He affirmed that he has been constantly harassed by armed anti-Aristide
groups and by the interim government. <br><br>
He also denounced the fact that some officials of the provisional
government have associated themselves with anti-Lavalas groups in an
effort to neutralize him. <br><br>
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</font><h5><b>AHP June 28, 2004 11:35 PM<br><br>
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Family and friends of Lavalas activist Annette Auguste continue to
denounce the maneuvers of the interim government to keep Sò Anne in
prison illegally <br>
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</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince, June 28,
2004 -(AHP)- </b>Those who are close to the Fanmi Lavalas activist
Annette Auguste, who has been incarcerated for nearly two months,
continue to denounce what they call maneuvers by the interim government
to keep her in prison illegally. <i> <br><br>
</i>Wilfrid Lavaud,<i> </i>the husband of Annette Auguste, labeled as
pure lies and fabrication the statements broadcast last week by a
Port-au-Prince radio station in which someone named Sonia Desrosiers said
she had attended a ceremony at the home of President Aristide in March
2000 when a baby (belonging to Nanoune Myrtyl) was sacrificed.
<br><br>
Wilfrid Lavaud declared he finds many contradictions in the statements of
Sonia Desrosiers, who says she has had the privilege of meeting the
interim Minister of Justice, Bernard Gousse. <br><br>
He observed that Sonia Desrosiers mentioned a telephone number that was
allegedly used by Sò Anne to invite her to the ceremony that is supposed
to have been held in March 2000, even though the telephone assigned to
that number was not purchased until 2003, he said. <br><br>
Mr. Lavaud also said he noticed that Sonia Desrosiers claims that during
that ceremony in the year 2000, the participants called for respect for
the five year term in office of President Aristide , even though it
was René Préval who was president in the year 2000. <br><br>
The husband of Sò Anne insists that the statements of Sonia Desrosiers
were provided to her and are in line with the type of statements made
last year by individuals named Johnny Occilius and Michard Mercier.
<br><br>
Mr. Lavaud pointed out that a nurse who was working the night the baby of
Nanoune Myrtyl disappeared was arrested and later released under pressure
and that she is the one who should be asked to answer questions as to
what happened to this baby, he said. <br><br>
"The cruel person always makes a mistake", added Mr. Lavaud,
denouncing what he called the clumsy maneuvers aimed at keeping Sò Anne
in Prison.<br><br>
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</font><h5><b>AHP June 28, 2004 12:20 PM
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