#4786: March calling for Toto Constant to be judged (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: K. M. Ives <kives@gateway.net>

Coalition to Return Toto Constant to Haiti
------------------
 c/o DC1707, 75 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 (212) 219-0022 x.
113

For Immediate Release:                                 Contact:
August 5, 2000                                      Ray Laforest,
(212) 219-0022 x. 113
                                                                Henri
Myrthil, (718) 949-4419

QUEENS MARCHERS TO DEMAND THAT
FORMER DEATH-SQUAD LEADER BE EXTRADITED TO HAITI

A coalition of Haitian community organizations and U.S. rights
groups have come together to organize a march through Queens on
Saturday, August 12, demanding that Emmanuel ?Toto? Constant be
immediately extradited to Haiti to stand trial for human rights
crimes and murder.

Constant was a CIA agent who led the death-squad FRAPH during the
1991-1994 coup d?état which killed over 5000 Haitians. Now he
lives and works in Queens, having received de facto political
asylum from the U.S. government. Since 1996, Washington has
refused to honor the Haitian government?s request for Constant?s
extradition for warrants issued in 1994 and 1995..

?It is simply unthinkable that U.S. authorities are harboring a
terrorist like Toto Constant, allowing him to peacefully live and
work here in New York City, especially when the Haitian
government has demanded his return to Haiti to stand trial,? said
Haitian unionist Ray Laforest, one of the march organizers. ?We
will loudly denounce this hypocrisy and hopefully make both
Constant and Washington very uncomfortable.?

The marchers will rally at 9 a.m. at the corner of 225th Street &
Merrick Blvd. (Bus Q5 via Merrick from Parsons & Archer, at the
last stop of the E or J trains). At 10 a.m. they will march to
the house where Constant is reported to live at 137-35 225th
Street,  then continue on to Rigaud Realty, 221-20 Linden
Boulevard.  A rally will be held there until 2:00 p.m. (Bus Q4a
to 222th Street in Cambria Heights).

The coalition of groups organizing the march includes the Center
for Constitutional Rights (CCR), District Council 1707, Fanmi
Lavalas, and the Haiti Support Network (HSN).

                             ? 30 ?