21844: erzilidanto: Brutal Arrest by U.S. Military of Unarmed Haitian Grandmother - Update (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Erzilidanto@aol.com

Re: Update from local reporter in Haiti by Patrick Young
RE: Campaign One - Stop U.S. military and brutal political repression of
unarmed Lavalas civilians and systematic de-mobilization of the mass electorate by
big U.S. and Haitian business and their Western military forces in Haiti.
(See, http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaigns.html )
From: Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
Date: May 12, 2004
Action: Please circulate. Press your local and national media and newspapers
to report the wholesale slaughter in Haiti today of thousands of unarmed
Haitians while U.S. soldiers are on the ground and, even participating in these
crimes against humanity. This river of blood of mainly anyone accused of "voting
for Aristide" or being affiliated with someone who "voted or supported the
Constitutionally elected President of Haiti" cannot match the one or two killings
per week the New York Times, CNN and other mainstream media were so ready to
report and exaggerate when the purpose was to destabalize and destroy the
democratically elected Aristide/Neptune government.

Please contact Ambassador James Foley directly at the U.S. Embassy in
Port-au-Prince. Call on Secretary of State Colin Powell at the U.S. State
Department
in Washington, and contact your Senators and Representatives. Call early and
call often.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ambassador James B. Foley
U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
phone: 509.223.7011 or 509.222.0200
fax: 509.223.9665
email: acspap@state.gov

http://usembassy.state.gov (for address and additional phones)

Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State
fax: 202.647.2283 or 202.647.5169
phone: 202.647.5291 or 202.647.7098
email via: http://contact-us.state.gov/ask_form_cat/ask_form_secretary.html

Haiti Desk Officers, U.S. State Department:

Joseph Tilghman
fax: 202.647.2901
phone: 202.647.5088
email: tilghmanjf@state.gov

Lawrence Connell
fax: 202.647.2901
phone: 202.647.6765
email: ConnellLF@state.gov

*****
Original article is at
http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/05/1680297_comment.php#1680577

May 11, 2004

Update from local reporter in Haiti

Haiti Update
May 11, 2004
By Patrick Young

Two days ago, 20 marines stormed the house of a Haitian supporter of
Aristide around midnight. there is little doubt about who did the
deed, as we (Journalist Kevin Pina and Community Alliance
correspondent Patrick Young) have still photos, digital video of the
following:

The doors of the house (heavy steel, like most in Haiti ) blown
inward.. A pickup in the patio area, with the bed exploded, and the
tailgate destroyed, along with the back window. Virtually all of the
secondary doors of the house (the ones when just past the external
"moat" of about 15 feet concrete wall, i.e. the doors of the house)
blown apart. Virtually every room of the house was full of shattered
glass and chaos. Shotgun holes through the roof as the assailants
fired into the ceiling to terrorize the residents.

However, the most "interesting" piece of evidence? US Army issue
triggers for the c4 or c5 explosives, in standard olive drab green,
with standard US instructions in yellow. Three were recovered from
the blast, along with some white apparatuses, and connecting wire.

We have this evidence in our possession, after we took numerous
photos on numerous cameras. it is available for anyone to see, to
examine, etc.

11 people were taken away. Ten were released after questioning, but a
69 year old woman, Annette Auguste, is being held incommunicado at
the Haitian prison in Port Au Prince. After visiting the prison, and
talking with the officer in charge, we were told we could not see her
until we had further authorization. A speedy trip to the Bureau of
Prison and an interview with one of the chiefs of the system also
proved fruitless.

Ms. Auguste is a known supporter of President Jean Bertrand Aristide,
and a topic of truly silly slander as of late, including the fact
that she is a voodoo priestess (although she, like many Haitian's,
does believe in her native religion, which is "Vodun" aka voodoo) and
that she sacrifices children, and bathed deposed president Aristide
in blood as (?) good luck in the 2000 elections, or to ensure the
defeat of George Bush, or ....

The vital part of this info is as follows: US marines are here as
PEACEKEEPERS, not to become de facto armed persecutors of supporters
of the former regime. Furthermore, Ms. Auguste is not being held as a
normal Haitian prison. She is being held in a special section of the
Haitian prison system taken over by the US military. She has been
denied visitation by the International press, in fact she appears to
have been denied the basic rights inherent in the Haitian
Constitution.

As incredible as this sounds, my personal calls to media outlets in
the US have so far shown no one even knows the story.

Yes, a three story house is blown apart (actually inward), a family
is in their home sleeping while plastic explosives and concussion
grenades are tapped into and around their home, the family dog was
decapitated by the lone Creole speaking soldier, the people were not
only invaded, but had black sacks put over their heads and forced to
the floor by the shouted commands of the home invaders, US military
ordnance is found on the scene, documented by photos and video, and
this HASN'T MADE THE NEWS?

There will be more to follow. I would assume by this time tomorrow
the staff at public radio will be airing the story, as the two
authors (Kevin Pina and a young lawyer from the Bay Area) pound the
keyboard and double check their sources.

Live from Port au Prince

Patrick Young
International correspondent
Community Alliance Magazine
Fresno Ca
<A HREF="http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home";>
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home</A>

******


"Men anpil chaj pa lou"  is Kreyol for - "Many hands make light a heavy load."

See, The Haitian Leadership Networks'  7 "men anpil chaj pa

lou" campaigns to help restore Haiti's independence, the will of the mass
electorate and the rule of law. See,
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html ; http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/concerns.html

and Haitiaction.net

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