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HAITI ACTION ALERT …… HAITI ACTION ALERT <br>
<br>
April 21, 2005<br>
<br><br>
HAITIAN GRASSROOTS WOMAN ACTIVIST & LABOR LEADERS<br>
ARRESTED, HARASSED BY POLICE <br><br>
<br><br>
The situation in Haiti continues to be critical. <br>
Since the US backed coup of February 29, 2004 followed<br>
by the occupation of Haiti first by US Marines and<br>
then by UN forces, approximately 10,000 Haitians have<br>
been killed and over one thousand jailed. Grassroots<br>
leaders and other supporters of President Aristide are<br>
under constant threat. Your help is urgently needed to<br>
oppose the most recent arrest and harassment of<br>
grassroots labor leaders, an attack clearly aimed at<br>
undermining and silencing grassroots resistance to the<br>
occupation, attempting to halt the right to travel<br>
outside of Haiti, as well as stifling international<br>
solidarity. This harassment violates the protections<br>
of the right to organize workers contained in the<br>
Haitian Constitution and numerous international<br>
instruments to which Haiti is a party. Lives are at<br>
risk. Please circulate this email widely, and see the<br>
action suggestions below for other things you can do. <br><br>
<br><br>
BACKGROUND: <br><br>
<br><br>
Ginette Apollon, President of the National Commission<br>
of Women Workers (CNFT) was illegally arrested on<br>
April 19, 2005 at the Port-au-Prince International<br>
Airport upon her return from the Encuentro Mundial de<br>
Solidaridad Con la Revolucion Bolivariana in<br>
Venezuela. The Encuentro marked the third anniversary<br>
of the reversal of the coup against President Chavez. <br>
Ms. Apollon, a member of the Confederation des<br>
Travailleurs Haïtiens (CTH), a mother and an activist<br>
working with grassroots women, was invited to<br>
Venezuela by INAMUJER, a Venezuelan women’s rights<br>
organization. While there she met with Central<br>
Latino-Americana de los Trabajadores (CLAT) with whom<br>
CTH is affiliated. Apollon was questioned by police<br>
about her trip to Venezuela, the purpose of her trip,<br>
who she met with and more. <br><br>
<br><br>
Also illegally arrested at the airport were Paul<br>
Loulou Chéry, a prominent labor leader who is General<br>
Coordinator of the Confederation of Haitian Workers<br>
(CTH) along with his brother, Lamour Chéry; both were<br>
at the airport to greet Ms Apollon. The police<br>
illegally interrogated them all about their work as<br>
labor leaders, and about their work supporting the<br>
return of democracy to Haiti. Authorities confiscated<br>
the cell phones of the arrestees, videos belonging to<br>
Apollon, and the lap top computer of Chéry. <br><br>
<br><br>
The police accused Apollon of receiving money abroad<br>
to finance violence in Haiti; after demanding her<br>
banking information, $23 in US currency and 350<br>
gourdes in Haitian currency (less than $10 US) that<br>
police discovered after a meticulous search. The<br>
activists were released after several hours, but had<br>
to agree to be interrogated again the following day.<br>
Ginette Apollon, who suffers from high blood pressure,<br>
had to be hospitalized during the ordeal. Apollon and<br>
Chéry are mandated to return again to the police<br>
station on Friday, April 21. <br><br>
<br><br>
Both Apollon and Chéry are prominent critics of<br>
Haiti’s interim regime, which was imposed by the U.S.<br>
and France and dominated by Haitian elites. The<br>
interim regime has raided union offices and arrested<br>
activists who are supporters of President Aristide<br>
without a warrant, and on the basis of vague charges. <br><br>
<br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
What you can do: <br>
Urgently contact the following and urge them to do<br>
everything in their power to immediately stop the<br>
harassment of Ginette Apollon and Paul Loulou Chéry: <br>
HAITIAN INTERIM PRIME Minister Gerard Latortue, fax<br>
011-509-249 5561 primaturehaiti@hotmail.com; <br>
US AMBASSADOR TO HAITI, James B. Foley, <br>
Fax 011509 - 223 9038 or
011-509-223-1641; <br><br>
HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER Dana Banks, BanksD@state.gov; <br>
EMBASSY OF BRAZIL IN HAITI : Fax 011 - 509 256 <br>
0990 L brasemb1@transnethaiti.com or<br>
brasemb2@transnethaiti.com; <br>
UNITED NATIONS STABILIZATION MISSION TO HAITI :<br>
Mahamane Cisse-Gouro, Human Rights Director, 011 - 509<br>
- 403 4012 or 011 509- 527 5274, cisse-gouro@un.org <br>
<br>
Please add your name to this action alert (see form<br>
below) <br>
Email this action alert to all on your email lists and<br>
ask them to send it to their email lists <br>
Post this action alert on your web site <br>
Send a donation <br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
Time is of the essence if we do not immediately<br>
demonstrate international rejection of the persecution<br>
of these labor leaders/grassroots activists, the<br>
interim Haitian government will go further. For<br>
Ginette Apollon, already in poor health, continued<br>
harassment could be a death sentence. <br><br>
<br><br>
Original signers to this action alert include: <br><br>
Haiti Action Committee ; <br><br>
Fondation 30 Septembre ; <br><br>
Haitian Initiative For Democracy; <br><br>
Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network; <br><br>
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti ; <br><br>
Haiti Progress; <br><br>
Haiti Support Network; <br><br>
The Global Women’s Strike ; <br><br>
Clement Payne Society/Barbados ; <br><br>
Red Thread/Guyana ; <br><br>
Danny Glover ; <br><br>
Selma James ; <br><br>
Margaret Prescod ; <br><br>
Steve Gillis President, USWA Local 8751 Boston School<br>
Bus Drivers' Union; <br><br>
Kevin Skerrett, Senior Research Officer, Canadian<br>
Union of Public Employees; <br><br>
Ray Laforest, staff organizer DC 1707 AFFCME; <br><br>
Walter Riley, Attorney-at-Law; <br><br>
Barbara Rhine, Attorney-at-Law; <br><br>
Dave Welsh, Delegate, San Francisco Labor Council; <br><br>
Maureen Duignan, O.S.F.; <br><br>
Dale Sorensen, Director, Marin Interfaith Task Force<br>
on the Americas; <br><br>
Claude Marks, Freedom Archives; <br><br>
Jeff Ballinger, Executive Director, Press for Change; <br><br>
Sylvia Tiwon, University of California, Berkeley; <br><br>
Merlin Chowkwanyun, Columbia University; <br><br>
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom -<br>
DC Branch; <br><br>
Ecumenical Program on Central America and the<br>
Caribbean; <br><br>
Sasha B. Kramer, Stanford University; <br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
Yes, I support this action alert: NAME:<br>
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Please keep me up to date on the developing situation<br>
in Haiti. <br><br>
Please do not hit the reply button to respond to this<br>
email, instead, please send on your endorsement an/or<br>
questions by email jyk4haiti@aol.com or phone<br>
(510)483-7481 <br><br>
<br><br>
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<br><br>
Suggestion for a fax or email to the above listed<br>
parties: <br><br>
<br><br>
Date <br><br>
<br><br>
I/We are writing to protest the illegal arrest and<br>
forced interrogation of Ginette Apollon, President of<br>
the National Commission of Women Workers (CNFT) and a<br>
grassroots women’s rights activist, Paul Loulou Chery,<br>
General Coordinator of the Confederation of Haitian<br>
Workers (CTH) and Mr. Chery, (Loulou’s brother). They<br>
were arrested on Tuesday, March 19 at the airport as<br>
Apollon was returning from an Encuentro she attended<br>
in Venezuela at the invitation of INAMUJER a<br>
Venezuelan Women’s Rights Organization. The police<br>
interrogated the arrestees about their solidarity work<br>
for several hours on Tuesday and again on Wednesday,<br>
and confiscated their telephones, a laptop computer<br>
and some videos; they questioned Apollon about who she<br>
met with in Venezuela and what she did there. Apollon,<br>
who suffers from high blood pressure, had to be<br>
hospitalized during the ordeal. The interrogation is<br>
scheduled to resume on Friday, April 21. <br><br>
<br><br>
The arrests and interrogation can be seen as nothing<br>
more than an attempt to silence grassroots and labor<br>
union organizing, to undermine the right to travel<br>
outside of Haiti, and to stifle international<br>
solidarity. This harassment violates the protections<br>
of the right to organize workers contained in the<br>
Haitian Constitution and numerous international<br>
instruments to which Haiti is a party. There is<br>
growing concern around the world about this situation.<br><br>
<br>
<br><br>
We ask that you assure that the interrogation of<br>
Apollon, Chery and his brother and all other<br>
harassment end immediately, and that grassroots<br>
Haitians be allowed to exercise their right to<br>
organize, protest and travel without interference from<br>
police and/or other authorities. <br><br>
<br><br>
Sincerely, <br><br>
<br>
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