#5056: CONCERN FOR MISSING GRASSROOTS ACTIVIST (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jocelyn McCalla <JMcCalla@nchr.org>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:	Jocelyn McCalla
Phone:	(212) 337-0005 ext. 17
FAX:		(212) 741-8749

Action alert
Concern for missing grassroots activist

New York, September 7, 2000 -- The National Coalition for Haitian Rights
(NCHR) is extremely concerned for the fate of FONKOZE courier Amos Jeannot
who was beaten and abducted at gunpoint yesterday, September 6, 2000, at the
end of a mid-afternoon armed robbery by a group of 10 armed gunmen claiming
to be acting under police orders. 
FONKOZE, Fondasyon Kole Zepol, is a small credit union that builds itself as
the alternative bank for the poor. It provides credits and loans to small
farmers and traders in addition to handling remittances from abroad. Since
its inception, it has grown to 118 employees, handling about $1.5 million in
loans. 
According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen approached FONKOZE's security guards
at about 2:30 PM, claiming that they had been sent by the police to verify
that FONKOZE had secured the gun permits that allowed their security guards
to carry weapons. They were heavily armed. The guards allowed them onto the
premisses where there were between 20 and 30 people, most of them employees
of the group. They were ordered to lie face down. The gunmen forced the
business manager to open the office safe and emptied it of its content. They
then asked for the couriers by name, and took away Amos Jeannot. He has not
been seen since.
NCHR is concerned for his safety and joins FONKOZE in requesting that the
Haitian Government give priority to finding and returning Mr. Jeannot to his
family, and to investigating and resolving this crime. In a sea of bad news
emanating from Haiti, FONKOZE's achievements stand out as amongst the most
promising grassroots initiatives. Should the Haitian government's fail to
treat the crime and disappearance seriously, it will have a profound impact
on the operations of FONKOZE and other grassroots organizations.
Please send appeals to:
President of the Republic
S.E. Monsieur René Préval
Président de la République de Haiti
Présidence de la République de Haiti
Palais National, Champ de Mars
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Fax: + 509 23-2530
	Chief of Police
Monsieur Pierre Denizé
Directeur général de la Police nationale d'Haïti
Grand quartier général, 12 rue Oscar
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Fax: + 509 45-73 74	



Jocelyn McCalla
Executive Director
National Coalition for Haitian Rights
jmccalla@nchr.org
www.nchr.org