13997: Blanchet: Fw: Last two Guacimal prisoners - free at last! (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>
From: <Tttnhm@aol.com>

BATAY OUVRIYE                                       4 December 2002

Dear Friends,

Yesterday we found out that the two last Guacimal prisoners, the union
members Urbain Garçon and Jéremie Dorvil, were released on Monday 2 December
2002 and we are happy to welcome our comrades and have them back with us.

Their release came about following our mobilisation on 28 November when a
large number of us assembled at the main courthouse in Grande Rivière du
Nord
to demand that Commissaire Smith Bertrand and Judge Maximé Jean Noël explain
the prolonged detentions and demand that our comrades be immediately
released. Throughout the month of October, these two members of the judicial
apparatus had been promising us a decision during the first week of November
on the expiry of the legally-binding period of three months within which a
judgement must be made (this period began when the prisoners were
transferred
from jail in Port-au-Prince to Grand Rivière du Nord). However it took
another month and another mobilisation in order to get the order to let them
free. New solidarity pressure from abroad, in particular from the
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, also played an important
part in the outcome.

Remember that eleven people were arbitrarily detained following the events
at
Guacimal on 27 May 2002. The two journalists Alan Deshommes and Darwin Saint
Julien were freed on 8 June, and a second group (Alexandre Tusson, Veuséus
Sénat, Mme Edouard Dambreville, Mme Lucienne Jean, Yvon Louis Jeune, Destiné
Décius and Alix Roland) some months later, on 20 August, following the third
picket of the Justice Ministry organised by Batay Ouvriye and solidarity
organisations. The prolonged detention of the two main union members from
this group represented, in our opinion, a sign of "the consolidation of the
government's policy of anti-union repression and of its willingness to
maintain its total submission to the diktats of the national and
international bourgeoisie."

As of now, no judicial procedure has begun in relation to the assassination
of comrades, Ipharès Guerrier and Francilien Exilien, during the 27 May
events, nor in regard to payment of damages to the other victims of that
tragic day.

The torturers and murderers are still around, enjoying complete impunity,
and
applying pressure on the union members who are currently starting work on
the
new orange harvest. The Guacimal company continues to make a mockery of
union
rights by categorically refusing to meet with the union.

Batay Ouvriye takes this opportunity to send solidarity greetings to all of
you who have participated in supporting our extremely difficult struggle,
and
to assure you that the order of the day remains:

LA MOBILISATION CONTINUE !


For Batay Ouvriye:   Yannick Etienne

Batay Ouvriye, B.P. 13326, Delmas, Haïti
Tel: 509-222-6719
http://www.batayouvriye.com


(translated from French by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group)




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