23194: Esser: Fanmi Lavalas spokesperson denounces arbitrary arrests (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser <torx@joimail.com>

Agence Haïtienne de Presse

September 17, 2004

A Fanmi Lavalas spokesperson denounces the interim government's
inability to satisfy the most basic demands of the population and the
continuation of arbitrary arrests

Port-au-Prince, September 17, 2004 (AHP)- Fanmi Lavalas' spokesperson
Gilvert Angervil rejected the interim Prime Minister Gérard
Latortue's declarations according to which supporters of the party
would be responsible of all the country's problems.

According to Gilvert Angervil, the authorities in place are
embarrassed by their inability to satisfy the most basic demands of
the population and are trying to hold Fanmi Lavalas responsible for
it.

It is totally normal that the February 29 government cannot
accomplish anything to solve even just part of the country's problems
because, he said, since it got to the power, it is involved headlong
into an all-out politics of political persecutions and arbitrary and
illegal arrests.

He also criticized the behavior of officials at the national
education who organized "suspicious grading out of official grading
centers and at ungodly hours".

Gilvert Angervil asked leaders of the Group of 184, of the Democratic
Convergence who are now at the power to assume their responsibilities
regarding the tragedy the country is facing and not to try to make
anyone else hold the responsibility for it. The tragedy we are living
today shows their inability to lead the country, Angervil declared.

Gilvert Angervil also denounced the illegal detention of several
Fanmi Lavalas supporters and executives who have never been heard by
their natural judge. It is only after they are arrested that Minister
of Justice Bernard Gousse tries to open an investigation to find
reasons for their arrest, the Lavalas leader said.

Gilvert Angervil also denounced the arrests on Thursday of 13 members
of the party who were participating in a union activity. He named
Mathurin Forient and François Trésolus who are general leader and
general assistant leader of the TKL of St-Jean Bosco.

He deplored that all these persons were unfairly arrested without a
mandate while those who set police stations and other public premises
in fire, killed policemen and made many victims among the civil
society, are running in the streets today in complete impunity.
Instead of being behind bars today, they were rewarded with great
jobs in the public administration, Angervil declared.
.