23580: Esser: No Rescue From USA for Haiti's Democracy (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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

World Crisis Web
http://www.world-crisis.com/

October 23, 2004

Americas
No Rescue From USA for Haiti's Democracy

Following the continued and indefinite detention of Haitian priest
and human rights worker, Father Gerard Jean-Juste, who was arrested
last week by the de facto Haitian government's police force, there
has been little public reaction from Haiti's neighbour, the United
States of America, to either the arrest and detention, or the rapidly
destabilising security of the country.

On Friday, USA Congresswoman Maxine Waters sent to Secretary of State
Colin Powell the second of two letters in nine days, formally urging
him to take action to obtain the immediate release of Jean-Juste,
pastor of Saint Claire Church in Haiti. The Congresswoman's first
letter, sent on the day of Jean-Juste's arrest, received no reply.

On October 13th, Father Jean-Juste was dragged by hooded and heavily
armed men through a smashed window of his church, and "arrested"
without a warrant, as he was feeding a group of local children, and
was placed in a cell with 20 other detainees, with a bucket in the
corner of the cell that serves as a toilet for all the prisoners.

For several days he was not informed of the reason for his arrest,
but he has since been charged with "disturbing the peace" - a charge
for which he faces a US$0.40 fine if convicted. Father Jean-Juste, a
long-time supporter of elected President-in-exile, Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, utterly denies the charge, which he believes to be
politically motivated. 

In her letter to Secretary of State Powell, calling for him to demand
that the Haitian government frees Jean-Juste, Congresswoman Waters
describes the priest as "a widely-respected advocate for peace and
justice in Haiti."

"Father Jean-Juste has always spoken out forcefully against all forms
of violence," she wrote. "He opposed the state-sponsored violence of
the Duvalier regime and the military dictatorship from 1991 to 1994,
and he speaks out against violence in Haiti today by everyone in
Haitian society, regardless of their political affiliation."

No Pressure From Aristide

Father Jean-Juste's detention, and the violent suppression of public
protests following his arrest, were just the latest and most noted
acts of an increasingly desperate and disorganised regime in the
country, the latter of which was plunged into renewed violence when a
demonstration on September 30th demanding the return of the elected
President was fired upon by police using live rounds. Two
demonstrators were killed by police, and street protests continued
throughout the night after the demonstrations were forcibly dispersed.

The following morning, the beheaded bodies of three policemen were
found in the country's capital. The de facto government, headed by
Gerard Latortue, quickly blamed supporters of the elected government
for the beheadings, and labelled the Fanmi Lavalas party, which
enjoyed majority support in the country's 2000 elections, and which
has a huge following in Haiti's poorest districts, of being a
terrorist organisation. 

The elected President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has refused
to concede formal power to the coup backers, and claims that he was
forcibly ushered out of the country by USA diplomats on 29 February
2004, in what amounted to an indirect coup by right wing USA
Republican Party and business interests, and partly funded by USA
tax-payers through US Agency for International Development (USAID)
aid funnelled to government opponents.

Gerard Latortue, has accused Aristide's present host, South Africa,
and in particular its President, Thabo Mbeki, of allowing the elected
President to destabilse Haiti from abroad, but both the South African
government and Aristide himself have strenuously denied Latortue's
claims. 

Speaking on Wednesday from exile in South Africa, Aristide said that
by making the claims Latortue was "looking for a scapegoat" to blame
for the post-coup destabilisation, which he says is a legitimate
reaction by supporters of the legitimate government to systematic
repression by the coup plotters.

"Latortue crossed the line," he said. "He unleashed a new torrent of
repression in Haiti and is now looking for a scapegoat"

A South African government spokesperson reacted "with contempt" to
Latortue's allegation, and said that "no evidence exists" to
substantiate his claim.

"The South African government rejects with contempt the attack on the
integrity of President Mbeki, and dismisses the insinuation that its
territory is being used as a springboard by President Jean Bertrand
Aristide to destabilise Haiti through violent means," said Deputy
Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad in a statement on Wednesday.

"No evidence exists to back up the claim that President Aristide is
involved in any activities aimed at the destabilisation of Haiti,"
Pahad said.

In an attempt at bridge-building with elements of the de facto
government, however, President Aristide called on Latortue to stop
looking for scapegoats, and to start a dialogue to deal with his
country's present crisis.

"Latortue, stop the lying, stop the killings," he said. "True
dialogue is the only solution.… 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"

Meanwhile, illegal gun trade in Haiti following the coup has
dramatically boosted the number of high-powered weapons on sale in
neighbouring Jamaica's streets, and has contributed to a record
number of homicides in Jamaica, according to the country's government.

Commenting on the increases, Jamaica's National Security Minister,
Peter Phillips, said that an unprecedented number of weapons are
smuggled into the country, and that these are a "major factor" in the
rate of increase in homicides. 

Over 1,100 homicides have been reported on the island so far this
year, according to police statistics - the largest annual homicide
rate ever in the country's history.
.