25135: Hermantin(News)Haiti can save a life, avert a political crisis (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Haiti can save a life, avert a political crisis
OUR OPINION: CONDUCT FAIR COURT PROCEEDINGS FOR YVON NEPTUNE



A promising avenue has opened up for resolving the embarrassing and
potentially dire standoff between former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune
and the interim government that has kept him under arrest without charges
for nearly a year. In exchange for ending his month-long hunger strike, Mr.
Neptune wants freedom, security and his life. This seems like a fair bargain
and one that could avert the political risk Haiti's interim government faces
if Mr. Neptune's health declines to a life-threatening condition.

Mr. Neptune's personal deprivation, the injustice he perceives and his
tenuous claim to life itself can be seen as metaphors for what is happening
throughout Haiti. Under the leadership of Gerard Latortue's U.S.-installed
government, Haiti has no security, scant freedom and little adherence to
democratic principles. This isn't what the people of Haiti were promised
following the forced departure of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
Mr. Neptune's political boss.

Haiti's leaders, who heretofore have shown neither inclination nor ability
to stop the country's descent into chaos, have a chance for a new beginning.
It starts with saving Mr. Neptune's life.

It's fair to note that Mr. Neptune is not blameless in bringing about this
predicament. He refused to appear at a court hearing following his arrest
last June, claiming charges that he was involved in an alleged massacre near
St. Marc in the days before Mr. Aristide left the country were false and
politically motivated. When he finally did appear, the judge in the case
refused to handle the matter because of Mr. Neptune's defiant attitude.
Haitian courts have since done little, if anything, to advance the case.

The resulting impasse and Mr. Neptune's hunger strike have led to an
international outcry over his deteriorating condition. Now, after a series
of meetings with Mr. Neptune and government officials, U.S. Rep. Kendrick
Meek has proposed a compromise that could benefit both sides. He urged Mr.
Neptune to appear before a judge to face the charges, and he asked
government officials to allow fair and impartial proceedings, free of
political intrusion.

Any proceedings against Mr. Neptune must be beyond reproach, but he must go
before a judge just like any other accused Haitian. Failure to handle Mr.
Neptune's case fairly in court or, worse, failure to save his life, could
smear the interim government and damage its credibility.

No matter how the situation is handled, it is sure to be a factor in
national and presidential elections scheduled for this fall. The compromise
offered by Rep. Meek is the best way for all sides to get some of what they
want, a chance for redemption.