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<div><strong>By DANNY GLOVER: <u>Stop the Political Persecution
of Aristide and Fanmi Lavalas Once and for All</u></strong></div>
<div><br>
In March of 2011 I accompanied Haitian president Jean-Bertrand
Aristide on his trip home to Haiti following years of forced
exile in South Africa. I did so in support of Haitian
democracy and Aristide's civil rights, and in protest against
my country's role in illegally removing him from power in 2004
and then preventing him from returning to his native land for
seven long years. Today, Haitian democracy and the rights of
Aristide are again under threat and the U.S. government
appears to be turning a blind eye.</div>
<p>Since returning to Haiti, Aristide has focused his energy on
rebuilding and reactivating a medical university that he
founded in 2001 and that had been closed down during his time
in exile. Though he hasn't been directly involved in politics,
he remains a popular figure and is the leader of Fanmi Lavalas
(FL) -- a political party that has won the majority of votes
in every election in which it has participated. However, FL
has been kept off the ballot by Haiti's authorities ever since
the 2004 coup that led to Aristide's forced exile.</p>
<p>Haiti's parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for
2011, are now three years overdue and the UN and other foreign
entities have repeatedly called for them to take place before
the end of the year. With Aristide back in Haiti it would
appear to be more difficult this time around for the
government to prevent FL from participating. This is perhaps
why the deposed president is once again under attack. </p>
<p>Last month, a Haitian judge reportedly issued an arrest
warrant for Aristide. The case being mounted against him reeks
of political persecution directly tied to efforts to suppress
a popular alternative to the current administration of Michel
Martelly, who is supported by conservative Haitian elites and
the U.S.</p>
<p>The charges against Aristide stem from an investigation
conducted by the illegal government established by the 2004
U.S.-backed coup. Under that government, human rights
researchers found that some 4,000 people were killed for
political reasons, while many others were imprisoned on bogus
charges. Despite his powerful enemies' best efforts, and a
grand jury investigation in the U.S., no evidence has been
produced that could support criminal charges against Aristide.
In the meantime, the persecution of Lavalas and human rights
defenders continues. On August 20, Lavalas activist Clifford
Charles was killed following a protest demanding the release
of fellow activist Louima Louis Juste. </p>
<p>The judge who issued the warrant for Aristide's arrest has
been disbarred from practicing law for 10 years -- as soon as
he steps down from his position as judge -- for his role in
the arrest last year of Andre Michel, an attorney
investigating corruption within the Martelly administration.
Lawyers for Aristide contend that they never received the
initial summons from the judge and that when they did go to
the court at the required time, the judge himself was a
no-show. Now, in an apparent attempt at saving-face, the judge
has ordered house arrest for Aristide, something that is not
even legal in Haiti. The National Network for the Defense of
Human Rights, Haiti's most prominent human rights
organization, has pointed out that these are not the actions
of a neutral third-party. </p>
<p>On the night of September 11th, Haitian authorities went a
step further, removing the security detail that had been with
Aristide since his return from exile, a move that put him, his
family, and his supporters at risk. Haitian press reports
indicate that the command came not from the National Police,
who have been reluctant to act against Aristide, but straight
from the National Palace. The message was chilling and clear:
the government can and will stop offering protection to the
former president whenever it chooses to do so. </p>
<p>Is the government scared of facing Fanmi Lavalas in a free
and fair election? President Martelly was elected in 2011, but
only after intervention by the U.S. and its key partners, who
arbitrarily overturned the results of the first round, thereby
putting Martelly into the run-off election. Voter
participation barely reached 20 percent. </p>
<p>The U.S. government was one of the main funders of those
flawed elections and a major funder of the elections of 2006
and 2009, all of which excluded Fanmi Lavalas. The U.S. is
also expected to provide key funding for the next elections,
if and when they end up taking place. If elections aren't held
by the end of the year, terms will expire for the majority of
the senate and the entire chamber of deputies, effectively
letting the president rule by decree. My country's government
is a de facto, if not active supporter of this rampant
curtailing of democracy.</p>
<p>It's time to end the campaign of attacks against Aristide and
Fanmi Lavalas once and for all. Aristide, like all Haitian
citizens, must be allowed to participate in politics without
fear and intimidation being the norm. My government has been
complicit in undermining Haitian democracy for many years now
-- from the 1991 CIA-backed coup against the first Lavalas
administration to the U.S. Administration's last-ditch effort
to prevent Aristide from returning to Haiti in 2011. </p>
<p>This needs to change. The U.S. government should stand by its
professed support for democracy and development and stop
standing in the way of the popular will of the Haitian people.
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<p>Sent by Haiti Action Committee</p>
<p><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.haitisolidarity.net/" target="_blank">www.haitisolidarity.net</a>
and on FACEBOOK</p>
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