News
and opinions on situation in Haiti |
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| 31/5/05 |
“They will kill me…I am in hiding. I can no longer go home” |
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‘They will kill me…I am in hiding. I can no longer go home’ Mayday, Mayday! – Report from Jean from the streets of Haiti by Jean for the Ezili Danto Witness Project, translated from the Kreyol audio recording by Frantz Jerome May 31, 2005 Jean: Greetings to all honest and upstanding Haitians living in the Diaspora who accept the fact that they are black, as well as the non-Haitians who are black, let’s unite to rescue Haitian blacks currently facing a Calvary of grief. We ask all honest and upstanding whites wishing positive changes in Haiti, to join us. I remember on International Press Day Augustin (inaudible) asked that the freedom of journalists to practice their profession be respected and that they not be threatened in any way. I, while acting to fulfill the functions of my profession, since 10 o’clock this morning, using my moped, have been monitoring the situation on National Route #1, where there was immeasurable levels of tension and at times panic. Popular organizations were demonstrating to demand the end of the ruthless and lawless Latortue defacto government. I was there when the national police along with MINUSTHA troops started shooting in all directions. Still using my moped, I was moving around to find out what was happening. I witnessed a young man riding his bicycle on national route 1; this student at the National Pilot Center was hit by a bullet in the head and died. I took some shots of the body and sample the surrounding sounds and moved on towards Drouillard cemetery. When I reached a gas station in the area, I saw about five police cars stationed at a barricade. They stopped me and told me to move the burning tires, with my bare hands. I informed them that I was a journalist and could not fulfill their request. They retorted that time would tell whether or not I would comply. An original inspector who used to be attached to the national route 1 precinct in Site SolËy allowed me to go and not face certain death, since threats were coming from many police officers. I escaped and went on my way. I do not know whether or not one of them called ahead and asked that I be intercepted. Still, as I reached the corner of Drouillard I stopped to call a journalist from Le Matin, his name is Evens. Police officers grabbed the phone from me and asked why I was talking to a journalist. Evens informed them that I was a journalist as well. They tried to find out from Evens what we were discussing. I was shaken up when they told me that had it been a bit later they would have taken me away. Where would they have taken me? When I asked them where they would have taken me, they told me I would find out soon enough. Once in the car I would have found out the destination. They seized my camera. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind earlier to take the cassette out. When they noticed that the camera was empty, the officers got very excited, they started to pressure me and shout horrific threats. Many guns, big calibers like M-14, M-16, were put at the ready and directed at me. I was by myself in the middle. They were about to lay me on the ground but instead put me in a pickup, placing the moped on top of me. Thank God for the fact that there are a few good ones among the bad police officers. One of the police officers said ‘no, he is a journalist; he is not involved.’ One asked me why I had two phones. I replied that in my line of duty, he could not ask me such questions. He then promised that sooner or later he would get me. Therefore, my rights as a journalist are threatened. They are threatened because I tell the truth. In Haiti, they don’t want people to tell the truth. Nonetheless, I know that no menace can stop me from telling the truth. Only when I find myself in my grave will I stop from telling the truth. As long as I can breath, I will tell the truth. So I ask all honest and upstanding Haitians to also tell the truth, the way things are. Today, I am threatened in Haiti and I am in hiding. Indeed, ever since May 3rd, the police had an alert on me, and I was stopped by the Brazilian soldiers. Could it be they are lusting for blood? I could not tell but still …(inaudible). I told them: ‘I can not believe that your actions are consistent with the freedom of the press you were talking about. Does freedom of the press mean that a journalist can be threatened? What is the purpose of your actions?’ I was hurt and realized that I was in grave danger. But I believe in God and the bible. I say to all honest and upstanding people aboard that Haiti is climbing a ladder backward. Why are they persecuting me? Is it because every time they are spilling innocent blood in popular neighborhoods the police can see me reporting? Is it because in popular neighborhoods, like yesterday in (…) where (…) Mitil died. I don’t know whether that’s the reason. Clodi, Lik, Janpié who is a student from Tétilien Gilbo who caught a bullet in his foot while he was calmly sitting. I don’t know if it’s because they spilled blood in Rue St Martin where a retailer name Maristil received a bullet in the head on her way to Kwabosal to replenish her stock of cookies. I don’t know if it is because while committing this act the police saw me on the spot, shooting images of their deed. I don’t know if that’s the reason why I am threatened today in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti. I promise all upstanding Haitians who want to see positive changes that I, as a journalist, though facing threats, I may have to go into hiding but I will always seek the truth. I will always continue my work, unless they kill me. They (the police) promised that at the first opportunity they will kill meÖ Ezili: Jean ÖJean, this is Ezili Danto, Marguerite, I needed to ask you, did they take the camera? Did they give it back? Jean: At first they took the camera and wanted to confiscate it, but later after I demanded that they gave me my camera, they gave it back to me. Still they were very upset that they could not find the cassette of the dead body. They are the ones who shot him and they did not want the press to know that. Ezili: OK. How do you feel now? Do you feel that you can go home now or do you feel that it is not safe? Jean: I do not think it is safe for me to go home right now. I am currently hiding at a friend’s house. Ezili: Did you take the picture or the name of the police officers who threatened you? Jean: I don’t have the police officers’ name, but I have images of the dying man. This is what they want since they are the ones who shot the man. I got images of the last tremors of life leaving his body on video. I also have images where they are shooting. I got the whole thing on video. That is why they are after me. They wanted to get the cassette from me. Ezili: Jean, what would you like to say to the international community, right now, as part of this report that you are giving? Jean: I want to tell the international community, especially the United Nations that claims to be promoting stability in Haiti, let’s make it clear to the international community in its entirety that the United Nations is not solving any problem in Haiti. The only thing that the United Nations has succeeded at is the promotion of bloodbaths. They have facilitated the spilling of blood in popular neighborhoods. That is why I am asking everyone in the international community who say that they want Haiti to change, I know Abdias Jean [another Haitian reporter ] died and I know that I, as well will die. I will tell the international community that I may die but will do so telling the truth. I will die because everywhere the police is involved in dishonest acts, I am also there, and that is why I will die. I am asking the international community to stand in solidarity with me, because my life is in danger. The defacto regime threatened me, they are trying to intimidate me. As I am talking to you, I am in hiding, asking people aboard to help me face this most imminent danger. I am in hiding, I can no longer go home. Ezili: Jean, stay safe. This very moment we are going to call the UN and other members of the international community and relay this report. Jean: OK, I’ll be here! June 7, 2005 We shall soon have a link up on our website to the Kreyol audio recording of this report. The breathing, living, blood of anxiety and grief in the voices from Haiti we talk to almost everyday is something that only those of us who experience it can know. Surely no human being should be so traumatized and so relentlessly, so unmercifully. But the Haitian poor are being crucified in Haiti by the proxies of the world’s greatest and richest powers. Why are the world’s decent peoples so paralyzed? Please help us contact other journalist and human rights organizations worldwide to assist the journalists in Haiti facing death for telling the truth about this U.S./Canada/France-sanctioned slaughter, anarchy and chaos unleashed on Haiti’s already impoverished masses. DO SOMETHING. What Jean doesn’t say in this report because he didn’t want to alarm his family was that he was beaten by the police – slapped and kicked onto the grown, in addition to having his moped dumped on his head. Since this reporting Jean has been in hiding. The Haitian Coup D’etat police force want to stop Jean’s reports and have been to his house, his parents house and detained his sister. Please call, fax, e-mail immediately. Help us save Jean’s life, protect his family and preserve his liberty to practice his trade as a journalist. Help HLLN stop the slaughter in Haiti, the killing of journalist and other innocent civilians. (See other Jean reports at: www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/witnessproject_jean_may18.html www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaignone/testimonies/stdemo.html Tell MINUSTHA, the Bush Administration, France and Canada that Jean is not a ‘bandit,’ the 30 civilians just murdered in blood in Bel Air and Site Soley on June 4th and 5th by the Haitian reconfigured ‘police’ with Jordanian and Chinese ‘support’ are human beings with the inalienable right to life, liberty and justice. Their lost, our Haitian lost and sufferings cannot simply be ignored because of the color of our skin and empty pocketbooks. The only road to law, peace and justice in Haiti is the return of the Constitutional government. The U.S. Special forces kidnapping of President Aristide has unleashed a rash of kidnappings since the Coup D’etat never seen before in all of Haiti’s history. Our collective voices against these crimes-against-humanity must mean something. CONTACT INFORMATION: Please call, e-mail and fax letters the officials listed below and your Address MINUSTHA letters individually to: Mr. Juan Gabriel Valdes, Kofi Annan’s Special UN Envoy to Haiti Lt. General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, UN Military Commander Mahamane Cisse-Guoro , UN Human Rights Office in Haiti THE UNITED NATIONS: U.S. Ambassador to Haiti: James B. Foley Phone: U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince – 011-509-223-4711 or 222-0200 or 0354; State Department Haiti Desk, Washington Anthony Beaver/John Mariz, State Department Haiti Desk – 202- 647-5088 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) __________ Telephone: (509) 249-9000 ********** African Union Headquarters With Copies to: kongo-doudou@un.org (Toussaint Kongo-Doudou, Chief of Communications, United Nations Support Mission To Haiti) ******* “Men anpil chay pa lou” is Kreyol for – “Many hands make light a heavy load.” Join our International Solidarity – THE FREE HAITI MOVEMENT. For info, see: Help stop the slaughter in Cite Soleil, Bel Air and throughout Haiti, now. There’s no time to waste. All the nationalities are down there in Even after death, our indignities and sufferings don’t stop, because Keep up to date with Ezili Danto Witness Project that publishes the voices www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaignone/testimonies/personaltestimonies.html www.margueritelaurent.com/solidarityday/pictures/hsd_pictures.html ******************* |
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