Pro-Aristide priest emerges as a political force in Haiti

[seemslikeadream]

April 9, 2005, 8:10PM

Rumors of bid for the presidency abound, threaten new rift with U.S.
By STEVENSON JACOBS
Associated Press


Associated Press
A supporter of ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide dances during a protest Tuesday calling for his return in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - Supporters call him Haiti's Martin Luther King Jr., a fiery Roman Catholic priest who electrifies the masses with populist sermons urging social equality and nonviolent protest.

The U.S.-backed interim government recently accused him of inciting violence and hiding gunmen loyal to ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, jailing him for weeks before freeing him because of a lack of evidence.

The mix of praise and condemnation has only fueled beliefs that the pro-Aristide Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste will seek Haiti's presidency in fall elections — a move that could reignite tensions with the United States.

Some among Aristide's Lavalas Family Party, including Jean-Juste, say they won't contest elections until Aristide — whom they claimed was deposed in a U.S.-backed coup — returns from exile in South Africa and dozens of his jailed allies are released at home.
more
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3125539

October 13, 2004

The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW, Room 7261
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Powell:

I write to urge you to take immediate action to protect the life of Father Gerard Jean-Juste, the pastor of Saint Claire Church in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as well as the lives of several other Haitian priests and parishioners, who are reportedly in imminent danger.

Earlier this afternoon, I received reports that Saint Claire Church was surrounded by heavily-armed, hooded men, while Father Jean-Juste was inside. My Legislative Assistant, Ms. Kathleen Sengstock, contacted the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and spoke with Mr. Doug Griffith, the Deputy Chief of Mission, to express my grave concerns for Father Jean-Juste's safety. During a follow-up phone call, Mr. Griffith told Ms. Sengstock that he had informed both the Haitian National Police and the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) of the reports and that the Haitian National Police were sending a patrol to look into the situation.

Subsequent to the conversations with Mr. Griffith, I have been told that Father Jean-Juste was taken away by the hooded men, and I fear for his life. Moreover, I have been told that at least one other church in the Delmas area of Port-au-Prince, Saint Yves Church, was surrounded by heavily-armed, hooded men in a similar manner. Two priests, Father Francois and Father Sauvageur, as well as several children, were inside this church, and I fear for their lives as well.

I implore you to urge MINUSTAH and the Interim Haitian Government to intervene immediately to save the lives of Father Gerard Jean-Juste and the priests and parishioners of Saint Claire and Saint Yves Churches. I would appreciate it if you would contact me as soon as possible to discuss these ominous developments, and I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Maxine Waters
Member of Congress
http://www.haitiaction.net/News/MW/10_13_4.html

[seemslikeadream]

1. After US Coup, Haiti Snubs Habeas Corpus for Aristide Supporters

... nearly three weeks after beginning a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment, Yvon Neptune, Haiti’s prime minister under former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was hospitalized after suffering dehydration.
On March 9, Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Tom Harkin (D-IO), James Jeffords (I-VT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sent a letter to interim Prime Minister Latortue, in which they wrote,
"If no charges have been brought against Mr. Neptune,
we demand that he be immediately released."
Council On Hemispheric Affairs(03-14-05)

That same day, a UN Security Council press statement on Haiti was issued, emphasizing Neptune’s imprisonment and calling on the government to “expedite all pending cases and to ensure due process for all citizens.”

Around 10 PM on March 10, nearly three weeks after beginning a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment, Yvon Neptune, Haiti’s prime minister under former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was hospitalized after suffering dehydration. Soldiers from MINUSTAH, the UN’s 7,400 strong peacekeeping force in Haiti, took Neptune to a UN military hospital for medical treatment. In recent days, international media reports have noted the declining health of the former prime minister.

Haiti’s interim government—specifically interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue and Justice Minister Bernard Gousse—must be held accountable for his well-being.

It was Gousse's legal team that defended Jodel Chamblain and his cohorts in the failed coup attempts of 2000 and 2001.
Political Prisoners On March 9, Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Tom Harkin (D-IO), James Jeffords (I-VT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sent a letter to interim Prime Minister Latortue, in which they wrote, "If no charges have been brought against Mr. Neptune, we demand that he be immediately released." That same day, a UN Security Council press statement on Haiti was issued, emphasizing Neptune’s imprisonment and calling on the government to “expedite all pending cases and to ensure due process for all citizens.” The senators’ letter and the Security Council statement follow on the heels of Representative Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) March 7 trip to Haiti, during which she met with Neptune and fellow inmates Jocelerme Privert, Aristide’s former minister of the interior, and Jacques Mathelier, a former executive delegate. Unhesitatingly calling the men political prisoners, she issued a press release demanding that, “The interim government’s repression of dissenters like Prime Minister Neptune must end immediately. The whole world is watching.” Arrested June 27, 2004, Neptune, along with Privert, is accused, but not yet charged, with killings that occurred in Saint Marc during the 2004 revolt against Aristide. Most independent observers have concluded that the accusations are without foundation.
http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/147536/index.php

[Judi Lynn]

2. Bush has done everything in his power to eliminate democracy in Haiti

yet the people who literally have no where to go to escape the absolute hell _Bush has unleashed upon them still keep struggling forward, hoping for a better world in Haiti.

They are tremendously brave, considering the sacrifice they have made and will be forced to make: I wonder if he would find a way to get EVERYONE killed but the ones who serve the elite.

Thanks for introducing the name of the new peoples' leader. God keep him safe against the power of darkness in Washington which watches his every move, word, measuring the time he has left to generate hope before someone is sent to kill him.

Bill Clinton helped restore Aristide to his lawfully elected position. _Bushs arranged to take him out. It's about time the people of Haiti won the right to their own elected leaders without some piece of right-wing #### trafficking in murder to make certain no one in this hemisphere wins other than right-wing puppets, like Papa Doc, Baby Doc Duvalier.

[Judi Lynn]

3. What exuberance in that photo! Almost makes one weep. n/t

[struggle4progress]

4. kick

[chlamor]

5. We Will Not Forget

[chlamor]

6. Rev. Father Jean Juste

Photo: Margaret Trost - Rev. Father Jean-Juste standing at the site of the new chapel he's building - St. Jude's Chapel.

[maxsolomon]

7. i have no idea which way is up in Haiti anymore

who benefits from the current situation? and how? is there even any money left to follow?

could the US bring stability & civility if it wanted? is there an economy to salvage?

sometimes i think the UN needs to invade & confiscate every weapon on that island, from guns to machetes to nail clippers. not that that would stop anything. rubber tires & gas are murder weapons there.

if only they had oil...