21951: erzilidanto: Preliminary report of May 18, 2004 slaughtering of Haitian people (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Erzilidanto@aol.com

May 18, 2004 is Haiti's Flag day and a demonstration was planned and
authorized by the police authorities. The authorization letter was signed by a certain
Altieor James. The letter requesting the right to demonstrate on Flag Day,
May 18, 2004, went out on May 10, 2004 and was addressed to Leon Charles,
Director General of the PNH. A copy was sent by Fanmi Lavalas authorities to the
United Nations, OAS and CARICOM. A copy of the authorization letter is available
upon request.

Yet, today the Haitian police, along with the U.S. Marines are reported to
have shot indiscriminately in the crowd with the aim to break up the
demonstration.

"They slapped us hard today," one of the demonstrators stated over the phone
from Port-au-Prince. "But we slapped them right back because they thought all
their killings of Lavalas and torturing had intimidated us all into hiding in
our own country. They did not expect so many of us to take to the street to
ask for the return of President Aristide and the disbanding of the army soldiers
who are now running the Haitian National Police. That's why we slapped them
back."

This statement was given to HLL by someone who was at the March today and who
sent us a copy of the authorization certificate approving the route and
demonstration.

According to this source, which shall remain anonymous for fear of reprisal,
the demonstration was to start at Bel Air at 10 am this morning going on until
3pm with a Church service to follow.

Reports are still coming in as to exactly what happened, so this statement is
preliminary.

According to reports from eyewitnesses, Haitians citizens began assembling
for the March around 8 o'clock this morning. As the groups assembled, a force of
U.S. Marines arrived in full gear and war machinery and shot in the air to
dispersed them. They dispersed and reformed again at different locations
throughout the city. This happened throughout the day.

The demonstrators were demanding a stop to the slaughter of Lavalas voters, a
stop to the witch hunt and arbitrary arrests and tortures, return of
President Aristide and the removal of both the US Marines, foreign troops and the
rebel, ex-soldier police who are now terrorizing them hand in hand.

The demonstrators came out in massive numbers. They attempted to march
peacefully and had no weapons, only the Haitian flag. But as the crowd got bigger,
it is reported the Marines got madder and more surprised, more frustrated and
started shooting directly into the crowds. People in the hundred of thousands
were singing "libete ou lamo" and refusing to be intimidated, even as their
fellows kept being cut down by police and U.S. Marine bullets.

It is reported that at least four people in the area where the demonstrators
who reached us by phone where demonstrating where killed. The police and
Marines took away three bodies. There may have been others slaughtered but they
don't know as the demonstration was huge. Organizers say more than 30,000 to
50,000 are estimated to have been in the streets at one time or the other today.

At least three eyewitnesses corroborated this particular story: One Haitian
woman seized the fourth body that fell next to her, refused to give it to the
Marines. She removed ALL HER clothes to show she had no weapons while Marines
surrounded her at gunpoint as she cursed in Kreyol, calling on the
revolutionary ancestors and shouted "Liberte ou lamo! Picked up the dead body herself and
put it on her bare back, daring the Marines to kill her also while she carried
it away.

People who saw this cannot stop talking about it, nor marveling and crying,
all at the same time. Reportedly, the "blan" (the "white soldiers) looked at
each other, shook their heads and back off, let her carry the body which she
wrapped around her naked torso in a huge blue and red Haitian flag. All the while
singing "bring back Aristide" and "liberty or death."

Today's killings and arrests are seen by the demonstrators as part of the
U.S.'s 14-year campaign to destroy the Haitian poor's thirst for their vote to be
counted - just another elevated version for the hunting down of supporters of
Fanmi Lavalas, the terror campaign aimed at the systematic dismantling of the
party. For each one they kill, a thousand more branches will rise, one
demonstrator told us over the phone, just like Toussaint Louverture and President
Aristide said when they both got abducted out of Haiti.

These Haitians we talked to believed So Ann's violent arrest in the early
hours of May 10, 2004 was intended to stop today's March from taking place. Yet,
they confirm the Lavalas cleansing, like ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, will only
served as a rallying point for the people to fight on until democracy is
restored and the lawful and principled will of the Haitian masses respected.

One Haitian directly involved in the March said "it's unbelievable how the
U.S. Marines stood in the background sometimes as the former disbanded soldiers
and FRAPH soldiers, now in the police, slaughtered the marchers. If they
weren't there (the U.S. Marines) the people would take down the hated soldiers and
take back their country."

Another responded, "President Aristide called for the U.S. help to shore up
our old civilian police. Bush sent the Marines to shore up the people's
enemies, to help the rebels. Now they are doing this job, slaughtering Aristide
supporters under the guise of being MIF 'peacekeepers.'"

Reportedly the Haitian National Police position today, via a certain Jean
Yonel Trecil, according to AHP, (http://www.AHPhaiti.org/ndujour.html) is that
Lavalas officials did not have permission to demonstrate today because the
police was not notified of the demonstration. However, the Haitian Lawyers
Leadership has been sent a copy of what appears to be a duly authorized permit.

The letter, from Famni Lavalas, requesting permission to demonstrate today,
May 18, 2004 for Flag Day, was sent to Leon Charles, Director General of the
PNH on May 10, 2004 with a copy to the United Nations, OAS and CARICOM.

A certain Altieor James from the PHN reportedly duly approved the route and
authorized the demonstration.

The route to be taken was clearly delineated in the request for the permit,
moving, inter alia, from Bel Air, ... Delma 2, Delma 4, ..... Caravel, MLK,
Avenue John Brown  to end at Constitution Place at Champ-de-mars.

It is reported several tens of thousands of people began the March in Bel-Air
and made their way toward the Champ de Mars. Reportedly the Haitian police,
using  this new "SWAT" unit that includes the bloody former Haitian military,
opened fire into the air and apparently also toward the ground throughout the
day.

The demonstrators retreated and the demonstration re-formed in other parts of
the capital. Besides the four already mentioned, there are reports that an
unknown number of demonstrators were killed and their bodies taken away by
police in plastic bags. Many others were arrested and put in custody. The
Multinational Interim Force was reportedly present in more massive numbers at the Champ
de Mars and is said to have been very hostile, threatening and intimidating
the demonstrators, aiming their weapons at them and doing nothing to restrain
the Haitian police as they slaughtered the unarmed demonstrators.

The U.S. Marines shot twice at an American journalist who was with the
demonstrators filming the carnage; filming how this new "SWAT Team" from the Haitian
police were slaughtering the people as the U.S., Marines stood in the
background, when they weren't directly participating themselves.

The fact the demonstrators duly alerted the Haitian police about the
demonstration a week ahead of time. Sent a copy of the notification to the UN, OAS and
CARICOM, and received a written approval. Those facts should have required
the U.S. Marines and other MIF to provide protection for the demonstrators.

Under no circumstances is there legal justification for the use of lethal
force, such as used today by the U.S. Marines and former Haitian soldiers-now
-turned-police, against peaceful demonstrators.

It is also reported that the "students who where demonstrating, prior to the
Coup D'etat, against president Aristide, have joined in with the Lavalas
demonstrators demanding the occupation to end." There is a report that one Lavalas
victim died in a hail of U.S. Marine bullets, falling back with one hand held
high making the "5-year sign" for President Aristide's mandate and holding the
Haitian blue and white flag in the other hand. His body was taken away by the
U.S. Marines in a plastic bag.

We are gathering more information in order to make a fuller report.

Marguerite Laurent, JD
Haitian Lawyer's Leadership
(First Preliminary report of the Famni Laval's May 18, 2004 demonstration)
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaigns.html