25176: Brianhaiti: (discuss) Half Hour for Haiti: Protect May18 Demonstrators (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Brianhaiti@aol.com

May 17, 2005

Half Hour For Haiti: Urge the United Nations to Protect Protestors During
Flag Day Celebrations

Thank you for everyone who responded to last week's appeal for political
prisoner, grandmother and folksinger Annette Auguste, "So Anne."  The Haiti
Action
Committee has collected over 600 signatories for that petition so far, but
there is still time to sign on
(http://www.haitiaction.com/News/HIP/5_5_5.html).

 Yvon Neptune, the subject of the previous week's alert, is still alive, but
still in prison.  His condition continues to get worse (updates are available
under "Recent News" at www.ijdh.org).

This week's action is more time-sensitive than usual: tomorrow, May 18, is
Flag Day in Haiti, and several dissident groups have announced protests.  We
are

asking everyone to contact the United Nations, to ensure that the UN fulfill
its mandate to protect these protestors from the Haitian National Police,
which routinely shoots at unarmed demonstrations.  Please take this action, if
possible, on Tuesday or Wednesday morning.  There will still be a chance to
make

a difference up through about 3PM ET on Wednesday.

Background: from May 14-18, 1803, black and mulatto military leaders fighting
for independence from France came together for the Conference of Arcahaie.
Up to that point, the French had been able to exploit divisions among Haitians
of different shades, often inducing them to fight each other rather than
fighting the slaveowners.  But Jean-Jacques Dessalines, helped by the sadistic
atrocities of the French Commander, Rochambeau and by French threats to
reinstate
slavery for all Haitians, was able to forge a united front.  On May 18 all the
generals agreed to fight under a single flag, and united they won Haiti's
independence by the end of that year.

Several organizations, including supporters of Fanmi Lavalas and student
groups are planning marches on May 18, especially in Port-au-Prince, to protest

against the disunity that has once again placed Haiti under foreign occupation,

and to call for the liberation of political prisoners, the end of political
persecution and the return of the constitutional government.  Two major
peaceful

demonstrations this year, on February 28 and April 27, have ended with police
shooting at and killing demonstrators (see, Amnesty International Alert on
Excessive Use of Force Against Peaceful Demonstrations, April 27, 2005,
http://www.ijdh.org/pdf/AMR360032005.pdf;  Haitian Police Open Fire on
Nonviolent
March for Democracy, CommonDreams.org, February 28, 2005,
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0228-11.htm).  Police have also
routinely shot at smaller
demonstrations.

The United Nations Support Mission to Haiti (MINUSTAH), has over 7,000
peacekeepers in Haiti, and a mandate from the Security Council to "protect
civilians
under imminent threat of physical violence."  Although the UN did
aggressively implement the mandate to protect peaceful protestors for a few
weeks in the
wake of the February 28 killings, the mission has resumed a more cooperative
role with the police, and did not intervene to prevent the killings of April
27.

Action: In light of the past routine police killings of protestors,
participants in Flag Day marches will be protesting under the imminent threat
of

violence.  Please contact the following UN officials, urging them to ensure
that

MINUSTAH fulfills its mandate to protect these citizens.  Whether you
communicate
by telephone, email or fax, your communication does not need to be extensive.
 You can simply state:

 "As you know, several organizations are planning demonstrations in Haiti on
May 18.  Also as you know, on several recent occasions, including April 27 and
February 28, Haitian police have fired at unarmed demonstrators.  Please
ensure that MINUSTAH implements its mandate to protect citizens under imminent
threat of violence by assuring that the Haitian police do not fire at
demonstrators on May 18."

Contact information:

MINUSTAH Military Commander in Haiti
Lt. General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira
Email:    pereira17@un.org
Fax: 509-244-9366/67
Telephone: 509-244-9650/9660
Salutation:  Dear Lt. General Pereira

Commissioner of CIVPOL - the UN Civilian Police in Haiti
Mr. David Beer
Police Commissioner
Fax:     + 509 244 9366
Email:    beer@un.org
Salutation:  Dear Commissioner Beer

Thierry Fagart
Director, MINUSTAH Human Rights Division
Fagartt@un.org
Telephone: 509-510-3183/85

----- End forwarded message -----