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<tt><font face="Verdana" size=3 color="#333333"><br><br>
<br>
</font>PRESS RELEASE<br><br>
<br><br>
For Immediate
Release
(202) 225-2201<br><br>
September 8, 2004<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
<font face="Verdana" size=3 color="#800000">CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS URGES
THE GOVERNMENTS <br><br>
OF THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE AND CANADA <br><br>
TO DISARM THE THUGS AND KILLERS IN HAITI<br><br>
<br><br>
</b></font>Washington, D.C. -- Today, at a press conference on Capitol
Hill, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), urged the governments of the United
States, France and Canada to take whatever action is necessary to disarm
the thugs and killers who overthrew the democratically-elected government
of Haiti last February and are now threatening the interim government of
Haiti. The Congresswoman made the following statement:<br><br>
<br>
"I am here today to urge the governments of the United States,
France and Canada to take whatever action is necessary to disarm the
thugs and killers who overthrew the democratically-elected government of
Haiti last February and are now threatening the current puppet government
of Haiti, which was installed by the United States.<br><br>
<br>
"Groups of heavily-armed thugs have recently set up bases in several
Haitian towns, including Petit-Goave, Grand-Goave, Jacmel, Belladere and
Gonaives. The thugs are former members of the dreaded Haitian Army,
which was disbanded by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1995. On
August 28, they attacked a police station in Petit-Goave, chased away the
police officers, and proclaimed themselves in charge of security.
They also painted the police station yellow, the traditional color of
Haitian Army barracks and outposts. The thugs are demanding the
reestablishment of the Haitian Army, and they even had the gall to claim
that the Haitian government owes them more than 10 years of back
pay.<br><br>
<br>
"These former members of the Haitian Army are the same thugs and
killers that carried out the coup d'etat that overthrew President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the democratically-elected President of Haiti, on
February 29, 2004, with the cooperation of the United States, France,
Canada and the Haitian opposition's Group of 184. They are the same
heavily-armed thugs that took over Haitian cities throughout the month of
February, freeing criminals from prison, setting fire to police stations
and terrorizing impoverished Haitians."<br><br>
<br>
"Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue said that the interim
government of Haiti does not have the mandate nor the means to
reestablish the army. He urged the rebels to negotiate, and the
interim government set a deadline of September 15 for all groups holding
illegal weapons to disarm. However, a spokesman for the thugs,
himself a former army colonel, insisted that the Haitian authorities have
no moral or legal authority to disarm them.<br><br>
<br><br>
"It has been alleged that the thugs are now threatening the life of
Interim Prime Minister Latortue in the same fashion that they threatened
to come into Port-au-Prince and kill President Aristide last
February.<br><br>
<br><br>
"When President Aristide pleaded with the United States, France and
Canada for assistance in stopping the violence and protecting the Haitian
people, his pleas fell on deaf ears. However, once President
Aristide was forced to leave Haiti, the United States, France and Canada
established a multinational force to stabilize Haiti, and the United
States installed an interim government, which is now led by Interim Prime
Minister Latortue. Neither the U.S.-led multinational force nor the
interim government took any action to disarm the thugs.<br><br>
<br>
"Louis-Jodel Chamblain was one of the key organizers of the violence
that preceded the February coup d'etat. Chamblain is notorious for
his role as the second-in-command of FRAPH (the Front for the Advancement
and Progress of Haiti), the death squad that carried out numerous human
rights violations during the three years following the 1991 coup
d'etat. He was convicted in absentia for his role in the 1994
massacre of Haitians in the Raboteau neighborhood and the 1993
assassination of Antoine Izmery. <br><br>
<br>
"The interim government of Haiti has actually encouraged Louis-Jodel
Chamblain and other thugs who were involved in the February violence in
Haiti to hold on to their weapons and consider themselves immune from
justice. Less than a month after the coup d'etat, the interim
government held a rally in Gonaives to commend the thugs, and Interim
Prime Minister Latortue praised them and called them "freedom
fighters." <br><br>
<br>
"On August 16, 2004, the interim government held a sham trial,
claiming to retry Louis-Jodel Chamblain for the Izmery
assassination. The trial was completed by 6:00 the next morning,
and a verdict was announced acquitting Chamblain of the charges.
Several major newspapers, including the New York Times and the Washington
Post, published editorials denouncing this sham trial.<br><br>
<br>
"Last February, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus
tried to convince the governments of the United States, France and Canada
to stop the impending coup d'etat in Haiti. We warned them that
they were becoming involved in an unholy alliance with thugs, killers and
drug dealers. We warned them that these thugs, killers and drug
dealers could not be contained once they were allowed to overthrow the
democratically-elected government.<br><br>
<br>
"Our warnings have come true.<br><br>
<br>
"The United States, France and Canada created this mess, and they
have an obligation to clean it up. There can be no democracy in
Haiti until these thugs and killers are disarmed."<br><br>
<br>
*******<br>
Forwarded by the Haitian Lawyers Leadership<br>
******<br><br>
"Men anpil chay pa lou" is Kreyol for - "Many hands
make light a heavy load."<br><br>
See:<br><br>
</b>The Haitian Leadership Networks' 7 "men anpil chay
palou" campaigns to help restore Haiti's independence, the will of
the mass electorate and the rule of law. <br><br>
See: <br><br>
<font face="Verdana" size=3 color="#003399"><a href="http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html">http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html</a></font>
; <br>
<font face="Verdana" size=3 color="#003399"><a href="http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaigns.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaigns.html<br><br>
</a></font>See:</b> <br><br>
Haitiaction.net <br><br>
<font face="Courier, Courier" size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></body>
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