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Urgent Action Alert from the Haiti Action Committee<br><br>
Demand release of jailed democracy fighter Rene Civil!<br><br>
Don't let them silence the voices of Haiti's poor<br>
majority!<br><br>
Free Rene and all political prisoners!<br>
<br>
1. The Illegal Political Arrest -- Late in the night<br>
of August 25-26 Rene Civil, a leading grassroots<br>
activist with Haiti's Lavalas movement, was illegally<br>
arrested by Haitian police without a warrant. On<br>
August 28, Civil was interrogated by the new<br>
prosecutor of Port-au-Prince, Claudy Gassant, a<br>
well-known opponent of Lavalas, and thrown in the<br>
National Penitentiary. Brother Rene is now one of more<br>
than a thousand political prisoners reportedly<br>
languishing in Haiti's prisons. <br>
<br>
As he left the court building, Rene Civil defiantly<br>
thrust his manacled hands in the air and said:<br>
"Liberty or death. I have been arrested unjustly, with<br>
false accusations, because I defend democracy and the<br>
return of President Aristide. This is a political<br>
arrest," according to a report on HaitiWebs. The same<br>
report quoted Lavalas sources as saying "the arrest is<br>
part of a plan to throw 200 Lavalas leaders into<br>
prison," and that certain state officials left over<br>
from the coup government were behind the plot.<br>
<br>
2. The Fake Charges -- Rene Civil faces three charges<br>
-- all bogus. The first, "use of a stolen vehicle,"<br>
involves a car Civil has owned for six years and had<br>
registered with the police. [While Civil was in exile,<br>
the police themselves seized the car and used it for<br>
two years. Civil had only recently reclaimed his car.]<br>
The second charge relates to two pistols in the<br>
possession of others in the car, not Mr. Civil. The<br>
third charge, "association with wrongdoers," is a<br>
vague conspiracy charge often used to keep democracy<br>
activists in prison -- including Father Gerard<br>
Jean-Juste and former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune --<br>
without a shred of evidence that they committed any<br>
crime. <br>
<br>
3. The Hounding of Rene Civil -- After the February<br>
29, 2004 kidnapping and coup d'etat that overthrew the<br>
democratically elected government of President<br>
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Rene Civil went into exile for<br>
two years in the Dominican Republic. On his return to<br>
Haiti on May 12, 2006 he was arrested at the border<br>
and jailed for two weeks -- on an earlier set of<br>
trumped-up charges. Those charges were dropped on<br>
August 14. Now, barely two weeks later, he's arrested<br>
and jailed again! <br>
<br>
4. "The Coup regime people are the ones responsible<br>
for my arrest" -- Visited in prison by San Francisco<br>
writer Ben Terrall, Civil said his arrest is a<br>
provocation directed at the base of Lavalas. He said<br>
the people responsible for his arrest are the same<br>
people who were behind the 2004 coup, who hate<br>
President Aristide and any expression of popular<br>
democracy.<br>
<br>
WHO IS RENE CIVIL? -- Mr. Civil was a founding member<br>
and leader of Jeunesse Pouvoir Populaire or JPP<br>
(Youth/People's Power), a youth movement founded after<br>
the 1991-94 coup when President Aristide returned to<br>
Haiti. The JPP organized young people in the struggle<br>
for democracy, mainly in the poor neighborhoods of<br>
Port-au-Prince. The JPP provided financial support to<br>
encourage the youth to pursue their studies in school<br>
or learn a trade, and set up centers where young<br>
people could get a hot meal and political education.<br>
<br>
Two days before his arrest, Rene Civil addressed the<br>
3rd Solidarity Encounter with the Haitian People, at<br>
the Aristide Foundation in Port-au-Prince. He<br>
denounced the system "which causes economic,<br>
political, military and social war on the people of<br>
the world", and which is preventing poor nations like<br>
Haiti from exercising their independence. "The people<br>
of Haiti," he said, "who believe in freedom, who have<br>
tasted freedom, will never accept this criminal,<br>
slaving system."<br>
<br>
Delegates to the Solidarity Encounter, including Rene<br>
Civil, participated in a chanting mass demonstration<br>
in front of the National Penitentiary on August 23 --<br>
demanding release of the political prisoners.<br>
<br>
Your action now can make the difference. <br>
Write to Judge Durin Duret, the Investigating<br>
Magistrate (Juge d'Instruction). Letters can be sent<br>
directly to Judge Duret by regular mail. Or, you can<br>
send them to Rene Civil's lawyers by fax at<br>
206-350-7986 (a U.S. number) or by email to<br>
avokahaiti@aol.com and his lawyers will see they are<br>
promptly delivered.<br>
<br>
In your letter, very simply state (in any language)<br>
that this was an unjust political arrest of a<br>
pro-democracy activist, and demand the immediate<br>
release of political prisoner Rene Civil.<br>
<br>
Address your letter to:<br>
<br>
Maitre Durin Duret<br>
Juge d'Instruction<br>
Pres du Tribunal de premiere instance de<br>
Port-au-Prince<br>
Ministere de la Justice<br>
18, Avenue Charles Sumner<br>
Port-au-Prince, Haiti <br>
<br>
cc to Maitre Rene Magloire, Ministre de la Justice at<br>
the Ministere de la Justice, same address.<br>
<br>
For more information:
<a href="http://www.haitiaction.net /" eudora="autourl">
www.haitiaction.net </a> <br>
510-483-7481 <br>
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