AHP News May 20, 2005 English translation

AHP News May 20, 2005
English translation (Unofficial)
Andrew Youg calls Haitians to more tolerance and sharing in order to solve the country’s problems

Port-au-Prince, May 20, 2005 (AHP)- Former American Ambassador at the United Nations Andrew Young, who will end a 4-day visit in Haiti this Saturday, invited Thursday Haitians to share out the country’s wealth better in order to eliminate the misery in which most of the population is rotting.

 Andrew Young, who has been in the country since Wednesday to try to promote the national dialogue, met several sectors including interim authorities, leaders of political parties, sectors of the civil society and committees in charge of this dialogue.

 During a forum/dinner at the Caribe Convention Center Hotel, Andrew Yong called Haitians to follow the example of many countries, including South Africa, to surpass themselves in order to find a solution to the very old crisis that keeps the country from developing.

 “Hatred, revenge and intolerance are major handicaps to development and blooming of national or society”, he explained, mentioning former South African President Nelson Mandela who found enough resources to forgive those who put him in prison and sit with them. Andrew Yong invited the Haitian people to follow this example.

AHP May 20, 2005 10:40 AM
The provisional president tries to take away responsibility from his regime in the case of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune’s extended detention

Port-au-Prince, May 20, 2005 (AHP)- Provisional President Boniface Alexandre tried Thursday to take away responsibility from his government in the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who has been incarcerated for about a year for political motives and whose health has seriously deteriorated because of a health strike.

 According to Boniface Alexandre, Mr. Neptune’s extended detention is not political at all. It is purely a judicial case, he said. The government cannot intervene to release Yvon Neptune. Only the magistrate in charge of the investigation can take such a decision if he considers it is necessary, the interim president declared.

 The provisional regime had tried two weeks ago to make the former prime minister leave the country because of the deterioration of his health. But Yvon Neptune had refused to leave without being released without conditions first. Head of Cabinet of the Presidency Michel Brunache recently declared that the presidency will do everything in its power to avoid that Yvon Neptune dies in prison.

Yvon Neptune handed himself to justice after rumours of a warrant of arrest against him, after he was accused by an organization hostile to his government of being involved in a presumed massacre that was allegedly perpetrated in La Scierie (Saint-marc).
The NCHR/Haiti considered that Neptune had to be arrested for the simple fact that he was in Saint-Marc 2 days before the presumed massacre was perpetrated.

However, there are no charges against the former prime minister who has been incarcerated since June 27, 2004 without ever being brought before a judge.

AHP May 20, 2005 10:45 AM
The interim prime minister accuses some sectors of being more interested in revenge than in real justice

Port-au-Prince, May 20, 2005 (AHP)- Interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue called Thursday some sectors of his government, without naming them, to tolerance and not to a justice of revenge.

Gérard Latortue was speaking at a forum/dinner at the Karibe Convention Center, an initiative of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce (Hamcham), where former American Ambassador at the United Nations Andrew Young was also participating.

“It is time to promote national reconciliation and not intolerance or a justice of revenge”, Mr. Latortue declared, adding that it was not normal that each government that comes attacks leaders of the former government in a spirit of revenge. According to the head of interim government, there is too much room in Haitians’ hearts for revenge and for a so-called justice.

“Time has finally come for all Haitians to put aside all their disagreements in order to give the country a chance”, Mr. Latortue declared, adding that his experience at the head of this government proves that some people are much more interested in revenge than in real justice.

AHP May 20, 2005 11:30 AM
La Scierie case: GDP leader considers that the examining magistrate has enough facts to dismiss Yvon Neptune’s case for lack of evidence

Port-au-Prince, May 20, 2005 (AHP)- Leader of the Group of Defense of Political Prisoners (GDP) Ronald St-Jean considered Friday that examining magistrate Cluny Pierre Gilles, in charge of the La Scierie case, has enough facts to dismiss former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune’s case for lack of evidence.

Mr. Neptune has been incarcerated for over a year after accusations were made against him of being involved in a presumed massacre at La Scierie (saint-marc).
Ronald St-Jean who met the magistrate the day before, declared that he was able to make him understand, with proofs in hand, that there never was a massacre at La Scierie, but rather a confrontation between 2 rival gangs: Balewouze, pro-Lavalas et Ramicosm pro-GNB, for the control of the port of Saint-Marc.

According to the GDP leader, the questions that Magistrate Cluny Pierre Gilles asked him left him thinking that he was really looking for the truth. Ronald St-Jean, who was with his lawyer, Me Mario Joseph, said he was optimistic that the cases of Lavalas executives who are wrongly accused in a massacre that never happened, will soon be dismissed for lack of evidence.

AHP May 20, 2005 10:20 AM
Intensification of the mobilization to lower fuel prices and bare necessities prices

Port-au-Prince, May 20, 2005 (AHP)- A group of citizens from different sectors of national life, including teachers unions, student organizations and defenders of human rights, organized this Friday a new sit-in, in front of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to convince interim authorities to lower fuel prices and the cost of living.

The people who participated to this sit-in denounced the behavior of interim authorities and other sectors who refuse, they said, to contribute to ease the population’s sufferings, contrary to what they had promised during the uprising against former authorities. The demonstrators also declared that the population’s living conditions, notably those of the most underprivileged masses, had greatly deteriorated these last few months because of the interim authorities’ dishonesty and the selfish attitude of some sectors that have great means.

The demonstrators also denounced interim authorities by writing graffiti on the walls of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, calling it “Ministry of the high cost of life and misery”. They threatened to intensify their movement in the following days if nothing is done to meet their demands.

Leader of the Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH), Eliphète St-Pierre who participated in the sit-in, said it was demagogic that the authorities had decided to lower the price of the gallon of gas of only 3 gourdes and the price of the gallon of diesel of only 2 gourdes, while they increased the price of kerosene.

According to Eliphète St-Pierre, this measure will change nothing in the situation.

 He invited interim authorities to make deep changes in the State structures, underlining that the taxes collected by the State were not used for the population.

During a student demonstration last week, wealthy sectors had been accused of being responsible in the deterioration of the population’s living conditions. President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Réginald Boulos had reacted the following day by accusing a minority of promoting the class war while promising the redistribution of wealth.

AHP May 20, 2005 1:30 PM
Difficult situation for deportees of the Dominican Republic: Dominican citizens declare that they were harassed in the North of the country

Cap-Haïtien, May 20, 2005 (AHP)- Haitians who were repatriated last week from the Dominican Republic denounced the bad treatments they were given by Dominican soldiers at the time of turning back operations.

Over 3000 Haitians were expulsed from the Dominican Republic and at least 5 were killed after the murder of a Dominican storekeeper on May 9th. “We were forced to leave the neighbour republic, leaving our families and things accumulated in close to twenty years of work”, the repatriated people complained. They deplored the fact that Dominican soldiers did not even give them the time to get their most important things.

These repatriated people declared that they were determined to go back to the Dominican Republic in order to get their things. They called interim authorities to assume its responsibilities in order to help them since they say they have proofs that these are really their goods.

On the other hand, Dominican citizens living in the second city of the country denounced the bad treatments they claim to be victim of from unknown individuals. These Dominicans deplored this attitude, saying that they have been living in Cap-Haïtien for several years.

Among the people who were deported last week from the Dominican Republic, there were students, children born in the Dominican Republic, Haitians who have legal papers and Dominican citizens. Some of them were able to go back to the Dominican Republic after the request to suspend the deportations made by Haitian authorities.

AHP May 20, 2005 11:10 AM