23419: Esser: The Other Disaster in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/

October 13, 2004

Aftermath of a Coup
The Other Disaster in Haiti

By Bishop THOMAS GUMBLETON
and BILL QUIGLEY

In addition to the death and destruction caused by the recent
hurricane and floods, there is another disaster going on in Haiti
right now. It is a human rights disaster.

We just returned from Haiti with a human rights delegation for Pax
Christi USA, the Catholic peace movement. Our media has made us aware
of the human toll from the flooding. What we are not so aware of is
that there has been a coup in Haiti that continues to take a
substantial human toll as well.

The forced exile of President Aristide earlier this year was
effectively a coup that eliminated the constitutionally elected
government of the people of Haiti. The elected government was
replaced with an illegally appointed government of the minority with
economic and military power, supported by the U.S., France and Canada.

As a result, human rights conditions are now worse in Haiti now then
they have been in years.

The democratically elected government leaders and their supporters
are in prison or have been made into refugees in their own country
while former military, gangs and rebels affiliated with those in
power are often allowed to do as they please.

We visited with several political prisoners in the National
Penitentiary including the highest officials of the government of
President Aristide: Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, Minister of the
Interior Jocelerme Privert, and the former Mayor of Port au Prince.
The rule of law is being blatantly disregarded in their cases.

For example, Minister Privert has been held in the prison for six
months and has yet to see a judge for formal charges, which by law
should happen within 48 hours of arrest.

Prime Minister Neptune, who was arrested days after giving an
interview critical of the government, has been in prison since June
2004.

An elected delegate of Parliament, Jacques Mathlier, was reportedly
arrested for arson but after going before a judge he was ordered to
be released on July 12. Instead the Ministry of Justice ordered him
transferred to the National Penitentiary where he has remained in
prison ever since.

The former mayor of Port au Prince was detained by the US military
for 20 days in a boat offshore while the new powers established
themselves - then he was transferred to the national penitentiary
where he remains.

We also visited the women's prison in Petion-Ville where 51 women are
kept in a poorly lit concrete structure and met with activist Annette
Auguste, a 69 year old folk singer also called "So Anne who supported
President Aristide. She has been in prison since May 10, 2004.

Ms. Auguste and all of her family of fifteen, including children as
young as 12, 10 and 5 years old, were illegally arrested in her home
by US Marines. The Marines used grenades to break into the house in
the middle of the night, forced black hoods onto the heads of all
inside and bound their arms behind their backs with plastic
handcuffs. While she was arrested and questioned by the US, she is
now being held by the Haitian government and has never confronted her
accusers. She told us "The Americans put me here, I am waiting for
the Americans to set me free.

It is not just political opponents who are the victims of human
rights violations.

Our delegation also visited a local police station in Port au Prince
where 36 males were being kept in one concrete cell, 12 foot by 12
foot. None of those in the cell had formal charges, none had a
lawyer, none had seen a judge, one had been in the cell since
September 4. There is no medical care, and no food is provided. What
food there is must be brought by families.

Mixed in the same small cell were children, adults, and people with
mental problems and epilepsy. We met one 13 year old boy and two 15
year olds in the cell. Prisoners showed open sores on their legs,
others showed injuries from physical brutality. Some told us no one
in their family even knows they are in jail. They sleep standing up
and leaning against the wall as there is no enough space for everyone
to even sit down together much less lay down. The criminal law system
which has never worked well for the poor is now being used for
massive arrests in the poorest neighborhoods.

We are very concerned about the widespread re-emergence of the
previously dissolved military, which has historically been a
challenge to and oppressive to an independent civil society. The
military has also often served as an avenue through which the U.S.
has exerted power over Haiti.

We also met with many poor people in Port au Prince including some
who were forced out of communities outside of Port au Prince
(communities like Petite Goave and from the Central Plateau) as a
result of the coup because they were perceived as supporters of
President Aristide, the Fanmi Lavalas party, or protectors of human
rights.

Opponents of the elected government came to town and killed the chief
of police, burned down the police station and the prison. They then
sought out supporters of the elected government, ransacked and burned
their houses, placed black bags on their heads, executed them and
dumped them in the river.

Many from outlying towns have fled to Port au Prince, others to the
Dominican Republic. Another young man told us how he was beaten and
threatened with execution for starting a school - he fled to Port au
Prince where he now stays in one room with 15 others.

A woman and her family were attacked and had to flee because they
were thought to have spoken to human rights visitors and foreign
journalists and voiced criticism of the government - they have been
sleeping on the roof of a friend's house.

They showed us pictures of their burned homes which were ransacked
and destroyed by former militaries and opposition gangs. One person
who went back just the week before to take photos of the damaged
homes was murdered for doing that.

People have lost businesses and property - they are now homeless and
living in fear and hiding with anyone who will shelter them. They are
refugees in their own country. There are hundreds more from their
area in the same situation and thousands more from other small
outlying communities.

Journalists, human rights workers, teachers, church workers, and
labor unions are being threatened regularly and are clearly at risk.

National elected independent union leaders reported that the
situation of workers has always been difficult with the bosses as
adversaries, but now is worse because the government is aligned with
the bosses and is also an adversary. Workers in businesses affiliated
with the new powers in government are intimidated and forced to
appear to be supportive of the new government in order to keep their
jobs. The situation for workers is much, much worse since the exile
of President Aristide.

Within days of our visit, police with black masks attacked the office
of a large labor organization and arrested 9 people who are being
held without charges.

We visited a cooperative community school in Petion-Ville, called
SOPUDEP, which educates about 700 mostly poor children. Because the
school was started by the community during the time of President
Aristide, those now in power are threatening to revoke its lease. In
early September of 2004, the newly appointed mayor of the town showed
up at the school with armed guards. Only after a demonstration by
community people and pressure by a US Senator has the pressure
against the school has been scaled back.

Our delegation strongly concluded that the rule of law is being
disregarded in the exile, arrest, beatings, executions, and detention
of the people who were democratically chosen by the people of Haiti
to govern. People affiliated with the elected government and those
concerned about human rights have been beaten and arrested and homes
burned and run off to live in hiding. The Haitian constitution and
international law are being openly violated. We agree with the people
that the rule of law must be reinstated.

The international community must help restore the elected
representatives of the people. This means explicitly the return of
President Aristide and the release of all political prisoners.

Human rights in Haiti needs immediate international attention.
Current people in power have said publicly that local human rights
organizations are stirring up troubles - a threatening warning to
stop human rights investigations. International human rights groups
must step up monitoring human rights and protect those on the ground
who are trying to do so.

We challenge the role of the international community, particularly
the US in Haiti. It does not appear that the primary concern of US
policy in Haiti has been democracy, human rights, or fairness to the
poor and powerless. It should be and all Americans should insist that
our policy help protect democracy, the rule of law, human rights and
the protection of the poor.

We believe that if all the people of the world saw what we saw, they
would insist that justice be done for Haiti. We ask the world to look
at the people of Haiti as our sisters and brothers. Recognizing that
our sisters and brothers are in serious trouble, we must all work
together to help them bring justice to their country.

Bishop Thomas Gumbleton is the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic
Archdiocese of Detroit.

Bill Quigley is a law professor at Loyola University New Orleans
School of Law. Bill can be contacted at quigley@loyno.edu

The full report of the Pax Christi Haiti Human Rights Visit is
available on the website of Pax Christi USA at www.paxchristiusa.org
.