21097: Esser: This time, let's disarm Haiti's killers (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

The Topeka Capital-Journal
http://www.cjonline.com

Opinion

April 5, 2004

This time, let's disarm Haiti's killers
By Eric Olson
MinutemanMedia.org

After suffering revenge killings and terror, Haiti's weary populace
may take an ounce of hope from the rebels' announcement that they
will disarm. This may, however, prove to be a hollow promise if it is
not promptly followed by specific actions. The failure to disarm the
disbanded Haitian military and paramilitary in 1994 has been one of
the root causes of that nation's ongoing political violence.

The rebels must clarify when, where, and how the disarmament will
take place, and the United States should ensure that the mandate for
the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) includes disarming both the
rebel forces and the pro-Aristide militias. Even without their guns,
the rebels' suggestion that they would "fade away" is unacceptable
and seems unlikely. Haitians recognize that the same awful cast of
characters has inflicted violence upon them time and time again, and
they deserve a future without the fear of resurgent terror.

It is therefore incumbent upon the international community to not
only decisively disarm the rebels, but also to arrest and imprison
those responsible for the human rights abuses of past years and
recent days. The longer the international community delays in
accepting this responsibility, the longer it will take to fully rid
Haiti of the violence that has torn apart the country for several
decades.

A quick look at the so-called Haitian opposition reveals a who's who
of thugs responsible for the massacre of unarmed civilians, selective
killings and disappearances of political opponents.

Louis Jodel Chamblain, who along with Guy Phillipe is considered one
of the principle leaders of the current armed rebellion, was the
deputy leader of the FRAPH paramilitary organization during the
1990s. Chamblain was convicted in absentia for his role in the 1994
massacre of 20 people in the shantytown of Rabateau and the murder of
businessman Antoine Izméry, who was dragged from a memorial service
and forced to kneel in front of the church before being shot twice in
the head.

Similarly, Jean Pierre Baptiste (a.k.a. "Jean Tatoune") is an active
member of the current rebellion and another former FRAPH member who
was also convicted for his role in the Rabateau massacre. More
recently Baptiste emerged as a leader of the so-called Cannibal Army,
which took part in violent attacks on the city of Gonaives on
February 5, an event that effectively started the armed rebellion
against former President Aristide. Gang members under the direction
of "Tatoune" have been accused of numerous abuses, including threats
against Rabateau residents who had been involved in his trial,
forcing some of them to flee the area out of fear.

Taking the guns from these men's hands should therefore only be the
starting point for their exclusion from Haiti's future. The Bush
administration must insist that rebel leaders and others involved in
gross human rights violations are denied any position of authority in
whatever new government structure is established in Haiti. The MIF
should move quickly to interdict individuals alleged to have
committed human rights abuses during the conflict, as well as human
rights offenders with pending sentences for human rights convictions.
These latter need to be brought before the Haitian justice system.

The United States supported the UN Security Council's resolution
stating "there will be individual accountability and no impunity for
(human rights) violators." The US can help consign the men of
violence to the past by declaring that any attempt to provide an
amnesty for recent or past violations will be unacceptable.

Only by moving decisively at this point can further bloodshed be
avoided in Haiti. By taking these actions within a multilateral
context, and making a long-term commitment to supporting the rule of
law and a functioning justice system, the United States and its
international partners can make the lasting contribution to the
Haitian people that they envisioned in 1994 -- but failed to deliver.

Eric Olson writes for Amnesty International USA. Founded in 1961,
Amnesty International is a Nobel Prize-winning grassroots activist
organization with over one million members worldwide. Amnesty
International USA -- www.amnesty-usa.org -- is the U.S. Section of
this international human rights movement.
.