| 22/2/05 | Call for the IMMEDIATE Release of Sanba Boukman! URGENT
ACTION ALERT – February 22, 2005 |
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-Call Caricom Please call, e-mail and fax letters the officials listed below. Demand that U.N officials not hand over Samba Boukman to Haiti’s abusive death regime, especially in light of the recent prison massacres, the death of Jimmy Charles, a Lavalas militant in Fort National, murdered after being handed over by U.N. troops in Haiti to the Haitian National police. Those in custody and prison in Haiti right now are in GRAVE danger of summary execution, kidnaping as happened to Yvon Neptune and Privert last weekend, or imminent death, especially and precisely IF they are supporters of the Constitutional government these defacto authorities illegally replaced. Tell
the MINUSTHA: DON’T
HAND OVER SAMBA BOUKMAN OR ANY OTHER
HAITIAN DETAINEE TO THE MURDEROUS HAITIAN NATIONAL POLICE! Save
a life. Prevent more summary executions in Haiti. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Sanba Boukman, a leader of Lavalas grassroots organizations (Mouvman Rezistans Baz Popilè) in Bel Air , which includes more than 23 grassroots democracy organizations all over Haiti, was arrested today by the MINUSTHA troops as he was returning from a planning session for peaceful demonstrations against the coup d’etat. Demonstrations scheduled for the anniversary of the February 29, 2004 Coup d’etat, planned in Haiti and around the world for this coming February 24th, 27th, and 28th Sanba Boukman’s supporters say they are holding the United Nations mission responsible for his safety. Our latest information indicates that Sanba Boukman is still in the hands of MINUSTHA (U.N.) troops in Haiti. He has not been charged with a crime yet. He was alleged to have been carrying differend I.D.s. However, all our information indicate he was targeted for arrest because of his affiliation with Lavalas and planning of peaceful demonstrations for against the Coup d’etat. There has been a systematic witch hunt and incarceration of all Lavalas leaders since the Coup d’etat and for the moment the reason for this illegal arrest seems to be in order to thwart the massive protests which are happening not just in Haiti but all over the world around the one-year anniversary of the February 29, 2004 Coup D’etat. We are demanding that MINUSTHA not turn over Samba Boukman, one of the few popular Lavalas leaders left in Haiti, to the prison authorities and death squads of the Latortue police and government. Not only because of the prison massacre of Dec. 1, 2004; the former military prison break last weekend, but because of the inability of the interim government to prevent the former military and restructured police from executing prisoners and detainees. In fact, the last time MINUSTHA turned over a Lavalas militant – Jimmy Charles- to the Haitian restructured “police”, he was subsequently found murdered. Further
information on Sanba Boukman and his grassroots organization’s
7-point plan to return democracy to Haiti may be found in the Miami Law
Center report (page 16, 17 & 61) at www.law.miami.edu/news/368.html. (See
also the AHP report below – unofficially translated by
HLLN into English in order to immediately get this Urgent Action
Alert to our readers. The French version below is the official and sanctioned
AHP release.) Port-au-Prince, February 2005 (AHP) – Today, MINUSTHA soldiers arrested Sanba Boukman, spokesperson of Lavalas militants in Bel Air. According to another militant, Sanba Makandal, Sanba Boukman was arrested on Rue St. Martin following a meeting with other militants where they were planning mass demonstrations to commemorate the first anniversary of the forced departure of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Sanba Makandal called on all Lavalas militants to remain mobilized for the mass demonstrations planned for this coming February 24th, 27th, and 28th. Lavalas militants in Site Soleil have echoed the same position and have also stated that they hold the MINUSTHA personally responsible for Sanba Boukman’s safety. Jimmy Charles, another youth recently arrested by the MINUSHTA and turned over to the Haitian National Police was later found in the morgue of the State General Hospital riddled with bullets while he was supposed to be in the custody of prison officials. Rene Momplaisir of the Grassroots Lavalas organizations has vowed that they will remain mobilized until the return of constitutional order. ******************* Arrestation
par la MINUSTHA d’un leader populaire du Bel-Air:
les camarades de Samba Boukman affirment rendre la mission onusienne
responsables de son intégrité physique Selon un militant Lavalas, Samba Mackandal, Samba Boukman a été arrêté à la rue St-Martin après avoir participé avec ses camarades à une réunion de planification des activités prévues dans le cadre de la commémoration du premier anniversaire du départ forcé de Jean Bertrand Aristide. Samba Mackandal a appelé les militants Lavalas à rester mobilisés dans le cadre des manifestations prévues pour les 24, 27 et 28 février prochain. Même position de la part des militants Lavalas de Cité Soleil qui rendent la MINUSTHA responsable de l’intégrité physique de samba Boukman. Jimmy Charles, un jeune arrêté récemment par la MINUSTHA et remis à la police était retrouvé quelques jours plus tard criblé de balles à la morgue de l’Hôpital de l’Université d’Etat d’Haïti. Un membre de la cellule de base de Fanmi Lavalas René Monplaisir, a fait savoir qu’ils resteront mobilisés dans le cadre de la lutte visant le retour à l’ordre constitutionnel. AHP 22 f évrier 2005 4:10 PM ***** Contact information: African Union Headquaters CARICOM: Call, e-mail, fax and/or write Huntley Medley, Public Relations Consultant, Office of the Secretary-General, Tel: (592) -226-9280-9 or 227-4671 , Email: hmedley@caricom.org. cc: OAS Leinaudi@oas.org, HunterJ14@aol.com, gunter.burghardt@cec.eu.int, AntBar@oas.org, Argentina@oas.org, Bahamas@oas.org, Barbados@oas.org, Belize@oas.org, Bolivia@oas.org, Brazil@oas.org, Canada@oas.org, Chile@oas.org, Colombia@oas.org, Costa-Rica@oas.org, Dominica@oas.org, Ecuador@oas.org, ElSalvador@oas.org, Grenada@oas.org, Guatemala@oas.org, Guyana@oas.org, Haiti@oas.org, Honduras@oas.org, Jamaica@oas.org, Mexico@oas.org, Nicaragua@oas.org, Panama@oas.org, Paraguay@oas.org, Peru@oas.org, Republica-Dominicana@oas.org, StKitts&evis@oas.org, StLucia@oas.org, StVnG@oas.org, Suriname@oas.org, TnT@oas.org, Uruguay@oas.org, USA@oas.org, Venezuela@oas.org, vze4ksd@verizon.net cc:
African Union: cc:
U.N. U.S. Ambassador to Haiti: James B. Foley Call: U.S.
Embassy, Port-au-Prince – 011-509-223-4711 Email: noriegarf@state.gov (Roger Noriega Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; BanksD@state.gov (Dana Banks, Human Rights Officer, U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince) UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) ** Kofi
Annan’s Special UN Envoy to Haiti: Mr.
Juan Gabriel Valdes Please Fax the MINUSTAH office Attention to the 3 listed above. Better yet, send 3 separate letters addressing them individually. SEND
COPIES TO AS MANY OF THESE PEOPLE AS
YOU CAN including your congressperson, local and national media (See
contact for local & National
media at: www.margueritelaurent.com/contactinformation/local-national-media.html ;
U.S. congress at: www.margueritelaurent.com/contactinformation/uscongress.html) ******* “Men anpil chay pa lou” is Kreyol for – “Many hands make light a heavy load.” See,
The Haitian Leadership Networks’ 7 “Men Anpil Chay
Pa Lou” campaigns to help restore Haiti’s independence, the
will of the mass electorate and the rule of law. |
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