a1743: BBC: Haiti: Civil society group calls for release of wrongfully detained individuals (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Robert Benodin <r.benodin@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Civil society group calls for release of wrongfully detained
individuals
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Apr 20, 2002



The Civil Society Initiative Group [GISC] has called for the liberation of
all those in whose favour a court order has been issued. In a statement made
public yesterday, the GISC said that it is concerned about the practice of
ignoring court decisions related to the release of prisoners. The GISC has
asked the current authorities to respect the law. Professor Rosny Desroches
said:
[Desroches - recording] The GISC asks the executive power, the government of
the republic and the national police to put an end to these practices, which
shock the citizens' consciences. These practices include illegal detention,
judicial harassment and unjust treatment against human dignity, of which
citizens of all social classes are victims, including those who belong to
opposition political parties.
The GISC reminds people that no-one is above the law and that everybody is
entitled to a fair trial. Any Haitian citizen, whoever they may be - the
president of the republic, former presidents of the republic or political
militants - is entitled to the protection of the law and to fair treatment.
The GISC also stresses the obligation of the president of the republic to
respect what the constitution and the Haitian laws prescribe. Therefore, the
initiative asks for the immediate release of all citizens who have a court
decision in their favour.
Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 19 Apr 02
/¸ BBC Monitoring
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.