Emergency Demonstration: HANDS OFF PRESIDENT ARISTIDE AND THE LAVALAS MOVEMENT!

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION

HANDS OFF PRESIDENT ARISTIDE AND THE LAVALAS MOVEMENT!
HUNDREDS OF SUPPORTERS RALLY OUTSIDE PRESIDENT ARISTIDE’S HOME AFTER MASKED AND HOODED POLICE SURROUND IT!

ON SATURDAY MORNING, MASKED HAITIAN POLICE SURROUNDED FORMER PRESIDENT JEAN-BERTRAND ARISTIDE’S HOUSE, AS HAITIAN RADIO STATIONS BROADCAST NEWS THAT HE WOULD BE IMMEDIATELY ARRESTED. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE RALLIED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE, VOWING TO STAY THERE TO PREVENT HIS ARREST.

THIS IS THE HAITIAN GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE TO THE LAVALAS MOVEMENT’S CALL FOR DEMONSTRATIONS ON TUESDAY TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1991 COUP AGAINST PRESIDENT ARISTIDE. IT IS PART OF A PATTERN OF INTIMIDATION THAT HARKENS BACK TO THE DAYS OF THE DUVALIER DICTATORSHIP.

ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, AT 1 A.M., THE HAITIAN GOVERNMENT REMOVED THE SECURITY DETAIL THAT HAS BEEN GUARDING FORMER PRESIDENT ARISTIDE AND HIS FAMILY SINCE HIS RETURN TO HAITI IN 2011. THIS CAME A DAY AFTER A JUDGE ORDERED PRESIDENT ARISTIDE, HAITI’S FIRST DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT, TO BE PLACED UNDER “HOUSE ARREST.” UNDER CURRENT HAITIAN LAW, “HOUSE ARREST” DOES NOT EXIST, BUT IT WAS USED FREQUENTLY AS A FORM OF REPRESSION BY THE DUVALIER REGIME.

WE VIEW THIS WITH THE GRAVEST CONCERN AND CONSIDER THESE DEVELOPMENTS A DIRECT THREAT TO PRESIDENT ARISTIDE AND HIS FAMILY.

PLEASE CALL THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT’S HAITI DESK.

THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN A KEY SUPPORTER OF THE HAITIAN GOVERNMENT OF MICHEL MARTELLY. LET THEM KNOW — GIVEN THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE MARTELLY GOVERNMENT – THAT WE HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF PRESIDENT ARISTIDE AND HIS FAMILY, AND THAT WE DEMAND AN END TO THIS HARASSMENT AND REPRESSION AGAINST PRESIDENT ARISTIDE AND THE LAVALAS MOVEMENT.

Please Call:
Haiti Special Coordinator Thomas ADAMS
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
202 647-9510
AND
Pamela White, Ambassador of the United States in Haiti
Embassy of the United States
Tabarre, Haiti
Tel: 011-509-2229-8000
Fax 011 509 2-229-8028

Initiated by Haiti Action Committee
www.haitisolidarity.net