21166: Esser: Witnesses: U.S. Trained and Armed Haitian Anti-Aristide Paramilitaries in D.R. (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

Democracy Now
http://www.democracynow.org

April 7th, 2004

Witnesses: U.S. Special Forces Trained and Armed Haitian
Anti-Aristide Paramilitaries in D.R.

As Colin Powell returns from his one-day visit to Haiti, we speak
with criminal justice professor Dr. Luis Barrios about his trip to
the Dominican Republic where he says lawyers, journalists, and
Dominican soldiers all claim 200 U.S. Special Forces were in the
country to train the so-called Haitian rebel forces before going into
Haiti to depose Aristide.
Secretary of State Colin Powell rejected calls Monday by Caribbean
nations for a United Nations inquiry into the ouster of Haitian
President Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Aristide has maintained he was overthrown in a U.S.-led coup when he
was flown to the Central African Republic at the end of February.

Powell, who traveled to Haiti to meet with the new U.S.-installed
government, said, "I don't think any purpose would be served by such
an inquiry. Haiti was on the verge of a total security collapse."

Powell's one-day mission to Haiti today is the first such visit by a
U.S. secretary of state since Madeleine Albright went to Haiti in
1998.

Human Rights Watch said Powell should press the interim Haitian
government to pursue justice for abusive rebel leaders as well as
members of the deposed government.

Haitian justice officials have promised to prosecute abusive former
members of the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but
have showed little interest in pursuing abusive leaders of the rebel
forces.

Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's interior minister was
arrested and charged Tuesday with conspiring to kill Aristide
opponents in February.

In contrast, last week Justice Minister Bernard Gousse raised the
possibility of pardoning Jean Tatoune, a gang leader who was
sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000 for his role in a 1994
Raboteau massacre.


• Dr. Luis Barrios, professor of criminal justice at John Jay College
in New York City. He is also a prominent community leader in New
York's Puerto Rican and Dominican communities as well as a priest in
the Episcopal Church. He recently returned from the Dominican
Republic.

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