Pro-democracy Haitians call on Pres. Bush to Demand immediate resignation of Roger Noreiga

Roger Noreiga’s comments in the recent Pablo Bachelet article published in the Miami Herald maligns the people of Haiti peacefully advocating for President Aristide’s return; is arbitrary and capricious and based on no evidence offered, and, is an example of Mr. Noreiga’s continued systemic character assassination of, not only the poor in Haiti, but of officials from their Constitutionally elected government. We Haitian pro-democracy, peace and justice advocates demand an apology and request that the Bush Administration not only censure Mr. Noreiga for his unfounded statements but demand his immediate resignation.

On June 24, 2005, a white Canadian MINUSTHA officer was apprehended at the Haitian airport in Port-au-Prince with a bunch of passports in hand and is a suspect for masterminding many of the kidnappings in Haiti.*

Mr. Noreiga, who, as a former Jesse Helms protege, is known for his pathological hatred of President Aristide, not only accused the President of involvement in directing violence in Haiti, but implicated the entire Lavalas party as directly responsible for the insecurity and lawlessness. Noreiga told the Herald that: “Aristide and his camp are singularly responsible for most of the violence and for the concerted nature of the violence.” Yet many human rights investigators have uniformly illustrated the current repression in Haiti was brought to Haiti because of Bush regime change, the Coup D’etat masterminded by Mr. Noreiga and the U.S. arms, funding and remobilizing of the bloody Haitian military to re-image them as the current “policeforce.”

Mr. Noreiga conveniently failed to mention the role of the U.S.-backed Haitian police in shooting unarmed demonstrators (on February 28, 2005 and April 27, 2005 to name a few dates). He failed to mention anything about the thousands of civilian killed – from babies, grandmothers, mothers to handicapped, by said “police force” and MINUSTHA troops in their sweeps in Bel Air and Cite Soleil, nor did he remember the murder of up to 107 unarmed detainees at the Haitian National Penitentiary on December 1, 2005 while Colin Powell was visiting Haiti. Noreiga simply typically, irrationally and with scant qualification lays total blame for the insecurity and lawlessness in Haiti at the door of exiled President Aristide, the Lavalas party and “pro-Aristide” gangs.

This is in direct contrast, not only to many human rights reports, but to the findings of Massachusetts Congressman William Delahunt whose recent letter to the Bush Administration would dispute that Mr. Noreiga does not mention 1) the role of the U.S.-backed government’s politicized justice system that only cracks down on President Aristide’s followers in sowing violence in Haiti, 2) nor mention the role of the gang members, ex-soldiers, thugs, felons and terrorists who helped overthrow the democratically-elected government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in continuing the violence they started in Haiti when they murdered duly appointed police officers and emptied the country’s jails in the process of the Coup D’etat. (See Delahunt letter at: www.margueritelaurent.com/law/delahunt.html )

With the U.N. (MINUSTHA) representative now being implicated in the kidnappings, it is imperative that the people of Haiti stopped being so maligned by the likes of Roger Noreiga.

Mr. Noreiga has proven over and over again that he has no competency to fairly represent the democratic and just interests of the people of the United States, nor the peaceful interests of all peoples in the Western Hemisphere. Roger Noreiga must be removed from his position immediately.(See, also letter below from Father Gerald Jean-Juste, “ KEEP THE AMERICAS TOGETHER. NORIEGA SHOULD GO!”)

Marguerite Laurent, Esq. Chair and Founder, Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network (Dedicated to protecting the civil, cultural and human rights of Haitians living at home and abroad) June 24, 2005 *

*(Update, June 26, 2205: The white Canadian MINUSTHA officer has been alternatively described in the Haitian press as a Haitian mullato, a bourgeois a “blan” or white foreigner. However, Haitian eyewitnesses who were at the airport insist they have proof the Haitian mullato, Narsius Dorvil or Jerry Narcius, is a different person, who was arrested the day before at Tomasen, than the white MINUSTHA officer arrested June 24, 2005.) **********

Regarding Miami Herald Article: “Aristide accused of fostering violence”

Dear Pablo,

I’ve just heard on the Haitian radios about your character assassination article. I’ve just found it too on the net. This is a disgraceful article to such a great Floridian and international media. You’ve accepted to crucify President Jean-Bertrand Aristide without giving him or any member of Fanmi Lavalas a chance to respond to these false accusations, (former Secretary of State C. Powell’s type on Iraq), of the extreme right winger, Ambassador Roger Noriega.

KEEP THE AMERICAS TOGETHER. NORIEGA SHOULD GO!

I and many other Haitians, Haitian-Americans, have called for Noriega’s resignation long time ago. (See Herald’s article by J. Charles on 04-23-’05)

Ambassador Noriega is a disgrace contributing largely to the downfall of the Republican Administration and to the bad reputation of USA in the Americas. I love my continent, the Americas, so much and I feel bad to see the extreme right wingers within the Bush Administration continue to hurt it, destroy it as they have started during Baby Bush first mandate.

AFRICA, REFUGE OF THE “LITTLE” ONES

Please, get your hands off Grand Mother continent, Africa. President Thabo Mbeki did a marvelous deed in the tradition of Africa by receiving a beloved son of the African Diaspora. Recently, Pope Benedict XVI reminded us the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) were gratified hospitality in Northern Africa, Egypt. AFRICA, AFRICA, AFRICA, KEEP UP THE TRADITION FROM NORTH TO SOUTH! You are the refuge of the “little” ones.

Respectfully yours,

Gérard Jean-Juste Pastor St. Clare’s church Tiplas Kazo, Haiti