21176: Esser: Convicted human rights abusers must not be allowed to walk free (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser torx@joimail.com

Amnesty International
http://www.amnesty.org

April 2004

Haiti: Convicted human rights abusers must not be allowed to walk free

Convicted human rights abusers, including rebel leaders Louis Jodel
Chamblain and Jean Pierre Baptiste ("Jean Tatoune"), should not be
allowed to walk free on the streets, even less to take positions of
authority where they might commit further human rights violations,
but taken into custody and brought before the Haiti justice system.

Louis Jodel Chamblain, deputy leader of the early 1990s paramilitary
group FRAPH, was convicted for the 1993 assassination of
pro-democracy activist Antoine Izméry and for the 1994 Raboteau
massacre in which an estimated 20 people died. He was sentenced in
both trials to forced labour for life.

Jean Pierre Baptiste ("Jean Tatoune") is another FRAPH member
convicted in the Raboteau massacre trial and sentenced to forced
labour for life.

Others convicted of or indicted for human rights abuses escaped from
the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince on Sunday 29 February in
the atmosphere of lawlessness that followed the departure of
President Jean Bertrand Aristide. AI fears that they may join the
rebel forces, thus gaining access to weapons and potentially to
positions of influence.

Police and judicial officers, witnesses and human rights defenders
involved in past prosecutions may be at risk of reprisal attacks from
those they helped bring to justice.

For detailed information, please see the report Haiti: Perpetrators
of past abuses threaten human rights and the reestablishment of the
rule of law, 3 March 2004.

Take Action!
Please send letters/ faxes/ emails as soon as possible in English,
French or your own language urging the governments of United States,
France and Canada to take practical measures to end the cycle of
impunity in Haiti. You may also write to your own Ministry of Foreign
Affairs or to the US, Canadian or French embassies in your country
raising AI's concerns.


Sample Letter:

Dear [Secretary Powell/ Mr de Villepin/ Honourable Bill Graham],

I am deeply troubled by recent events in Haiti and concerned about
the safety of the Haitian people amid reports of ongoing violence in
the country. As [Secretary of State/ Minister of Foreign Affairs] of
a country whose troops form part of the Multinational Interim Force,
I urge you to consider the following recommendations as essential
towards establishing a secure environment in Haiti that enables
respect for human rights, including the well-being of civilians:

- Ensure that the safety of judges, prosecutors, police officers,
witnesses and human rights defenders involved in bringing human
rights abusers to justice is guaranteed.

- Take urgent steps to guarantee that notorious human rights
offenders with pending sentences for human rights convictions as well
as those against whom there are outstanding charges for human rights
crimes are taken into custody and brought before the Haitian justice
system.

- Ensure that under no circumstances are those convicted of or
implicated in serious human rights abuses given any position of
authority, whether in a transitional government or among the security
forces, where they might commit further violations

Your public commitment to these recommendations will be an important
step towards ending impunity in Haiti.

Yours sincerely,




Send your appeals to one of the following:

The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20520
Fax: + 1 202 261 8577
E-mail: Secretary@state.gov

And/or

Mr Michel Barnier
Minister of Foreign Affairs
37, Quai d'Orsay
75700 – Paris
Fax : +01 43 17 40 94

And/or

The Honourable Bill Graham
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Lester B. Pearson Building
125 Sussex Drive
Tower A, 10th Floor
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G2
Fax: (613)996-3443
Email: bill.graham@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

Please let us know if you will be taking this action by sending an
e-mail to cc.appeals@amnesty.org.
.