23543: Esser: Latortue: A Liar - Statement of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

Latortue: A Liar - Statement of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide

P. Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Pretoria, South Africa

October 20, 2004

Latortue: A Liar

October 1, 2004, one day following a lawful demonstration in Haiti,
de facto prime minister Gerard Latortue acknowledged that he is a
killer. In a publicly broadcast radio interview about the
demonstration he declared: "We fired on them. Some died others were
wounded, and others fled."

A shocking and appalling admission; all the more reprehensible when
made by a so-called public official. The statement was confirmed the
next day when the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
reported that Marguerite Saint-Fils, Maxo Casséus, and Piersine Adéma
had in fact been shot and killed. (IDJH Human Rights Alert, October
2, 2004, at www.IDJH.org) Latortue crossed the line; he unleashed a
new torrent of repression in Haiti and is now looking for a
scapegoat. He is attempting to bury his self incriminating statements
with lies.

Latortue’s lies come after his salute of convicted criminals as
"freedom fighters"; his de facto government’s exoneration of one in a
hasty, overnight trial; his consent in allowing soldiers of the
disbanded brutal army to take charge and remain in charge of entire
areas of the country; and his sanctioning their use of violence. (The
New York Times, October 16, 2004)

Last week a delegation of Pax Christi USA, the Catholic peace
movement, visited Haiti on a human rights fact finding mission. Their
report concluded that:

Human rights conditions are worse in Haiti now than they have been in
years. We agree with the Haitian people that the forced exile of
President Aristide by the U.S. was effectively a coup that eliminated
the elected government of the people and replaced it with an
illegally appointed government of the minority…Many of the
democratically elected government leaders and their supporters are in
prison and thousands have been made into refugees in their own
country while former military, gangs and rebel affiliated with those
in power are often allowed to do as they please…The Haitian
constitution and international law are being openly violated.
(www.HaitiAction.net)

Latortue, stop the lying, stop the killings. Start paving the way for
a dialogue which we have unceasingly invoked these past three and a
half years.

True dialogue is the only solution. With the lives of millions at
stake, public officials must act responsibly. As we have repeatedly
declared: violence and murder are not the answer. During these past
eight months thousands of Haitians have been killed in defense of
democratic principles. The Haitian people clearly want peace and a
return to a state of law. Let us work to bring a tumultuous
bicentennial year to a close with a lasting political solution that
is imperative to the future of our nation.


Jean-Bertrand Aristide