<html>
<body>
<font size=3><br>
</font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=7><b>Free Haiti’s Political
Prisoners! <br>
Restore Democracy Now! <br>
</b>Emergency Vigil March 28th at 4:30PM in UN Plaza <br><br>
</font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=1>Join Haiti Action Committee for a
vigil on Monday, March 28th at 4:30PM in San Francisco's UN Plaza near
the Civic Center to protest the continued incarceration of a thousand
political prisoners jailed for almost a year without charges in Haiti and
to demand the restoration of Haiti's legitimate government. <br><br>
It has been a crime for Haitians to express their solidarity with
President Aristide since the February 2004 coup, a crime punishable by
summary execution in thousands of cases. Those who aren't killed are put
in jail just for expressing their support for Lavalas [Aristide's party],
even wearing Aristide t-shirts in peaceful demonstrations. Their
continued imprisonment underscores the US government's disregard for
Haiti's people and its constitution, and the complete dissolution of free
speech, association and press in Haiti. This is the situation that has
kept Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, Minister of Interior Jocelerme Privert,
and Lavalas activist Annette Auguste, along with hundreds of grassroots
activists, labor leaders and residents of poor neighborhoods jailed in
miserable conditions. <br><br>
The situation of the prisoners, dramatized by Prime Minister Neptune and
Minister Privert’s recent hunger strike, is urgent. On March 7th,
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) flew to Haiti to visit the Prime
Minister, who has been imprisoned since June 2004 without charges. He
refused to quit the hunger strike until the injustice of his confinement
is addressed. Just days later, he fell into a coma and was hospitalized.
Congresswoman Waters called for the release of the Prime Minister and all
Haiti’s political prisoners. <br><br>
During the event, we will construct a 9 x 9 foot jail cell simulating
conditions of Haiti’s jails where up to 42 prisoners may be confined
without electricity, running water, or toilets. We will write letters of
support and solidarity to be mailed to the prisoners. <br><br>
The vigil will gather at the Simon Bolivar statue, near the Hyde Street
corner of UN Plaza in San Francisco. It’s near the rear entrance of the
main branch of SF Public library at the Civic Center BART stop. <br><br>
</font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=3><b>The vigil will continue
through the night if it's not raining, <br>
ending Tuesday afternoon with a 4PM rally. <br><br>
</b></font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=1>For more information, phone
Haiti Action Committee at (510) 483-7481 <br>
<a href="http://www.haitiaction.net/" eudora="autourl">
www.haitiaction.net</a> <br>
</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3>
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
</html>