21930: (Arthur) Amnesty says 'Stop Further Reprisals in Haiti' (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

Take Action!
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=10771

Stop Further Reprisals in Haiti

Urge Haitian Minister of Justice Bernard Gousse to investigate the attack on
Judge Saintil and to guarantee the security of other prosecutors, police
officers, victims, witnesses and human rights defenders involved in the Raboteau
massacre trial and other trials of human rights perpetrators.


Recommended Action
Write letters to:

Monsieur Bernard Gousse
Ministre de la Justice et de la Sécurité Publique
Ministére de la Justice
19 Avenue Charles Sumner
Port-au-Prince, Haiti


You can base your letters on the sample text below.

Dear Monsieur Gousse:
I am very concerned about the safety of Judge Napela Saintil, the chief judge
in the trial of those responsible for the 1994 Raboteau massacre. Judge
Saintil was severely beaten in Port-au-Prince on March 30, 2004 by an unidentified
armed man. He told Amnesty International delegates that his attacker had
threatened him for the part he played in the conviction, in absentia, of Louis
Jodel Chamblain, one of the participants in the massacre.

Conditions inside Haiti are still highly unstable. Following a recent mission
to Haiti, Amnesty International reported that security for the civilian
population remains a grave concern. Despite the presence of the Multinational
Interim Force (MIF), a large number of armed groups that include both rebel forces
and militias loyal to former President Aristide continue to be active
throughout the country. In addition, as Haiti’s interim government has yet to
establish control over Haiti’s legal institutions, killings and kidnappings of persons
belonging to pro-Aristide grassroots organizations have been reported. Much
of this violence has been linked to escaped prisoners who had been jailed
previously for rapes and other crimes. During its mission, the Amnesty
International delegation interviewed Haitians ranging across political and social
affiliations. All expressed a profound sense of insecurity and fear for their own
safety.

As Minister of Justice and Public Security of Haiti, I urge you to promptly
and thoroughly investigate the attack on Judge Saintil and bring those
responsible to justice. Furthermore, I urge you to make a public commitment to
guarantee the security of Judge Saintil and other prosecutors, police officers,
victims, witnesses and human rights defenders involved in the Raboteau massacre
trial and other trials of human rights perpetrators, and to direct the
appropriate authorities to provide adequate protection to all those involved. Immediate
and effective steps to protect those involved are essential to strengthening
the judicial system in Haiti, and ending the impunity that has eroded human
rights guarantees in Haiti in the past.

Sincerely,