15200: (Chamberlain) Judges in Haiti suspend three-week strike (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

By MICHAEL NORTON

PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 11- Haitian judges returned to work Tuesday three
weeks after they went on strike to protest the suspension of a judge
accused of wrongly releasing a man in a drug trafficking case.
        Judges plan to hold court for a month "in the interest of the
population in general and of litigants," but could resume their strike if
the government doesn't meet their demands, said Jude Baptiste,
secretary-general of the National Association of Haitian Magistrates.
        The strike, which began Feb. 17, paralyzed court proceedings in the
capital of Port-au-Prince and other cities across the country. It occurred
in reaction to a Justice Ministry decision to suspend Judge Josiard Agnant
after he dismissed a drug trafficking case, citing lack of evidence.
        The judges say the government overstepped its powers and that
judges can only be disciplined after being tried before a judicial panel.
        Baptiste criticized Justice Minister Calixte Delatour for refusing
to go back on his "illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional" order to
suspend Agnant.
        The man freed in the case, Salim Jean Batrony had been charged with
possession of 128 pounds (58 kilograms) of cocaine. The judge insisted
there wasn't enough evidence to go to trial.
        Sen. Pierre Sonson Prince, a member of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide's governing party, charged Batrony had paid a bribe of US$300,000
to be freed. Agnant denied the allegation.
        Batrony was arrested May 31 by the Haitian police and agents of the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Batrony was "well-known in
Port-au-Prince as a drug trafficker," the U.S. Bureau for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said in a report this month.
        U.S. officials have criticized Haiti's response to drug
trafficking, saying in this month's report that corruption and weak law
enforcement contribute to the problem.
        Last month, U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) signed
a waiver for Haiti to continue receiving U.S. aid in spite of its
performance in fighting drug trafficking.
        U.S. aid of $57 million a year is being channeled through
nongovernment organizations.
        The Haitian government has said it is doing its best to cooperate
in anti-drug efforts but is hampered by a lack of money, equipment and
adequately trained police.