From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Haiti: Resistance & Democracy #137 August 27, 1992
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 00:46:03 GMT

/** reg.carib: 300.0 **/
** Topic: Haiti Bulletin 138 **
** Written  7:03 am  Sep  3, 1992 by ewolpert in cdp:reg.carib **
HAITI COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT
11 Inman Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
Telephone:  617-868-2900
Fax:  617-497-4397

Excerpts from Haiti: Resistance & Democracy.  Bulletin #137.
Port-au-Prince, August 27, 1992.

I. POLITICAL SCENE

The OAS Secretary General proposes a meeting between 
representatives of the legitimate and de facto governments.  On 
August 27, the Secretary General of the Organization of the American States, 
Jaoa Clemente Baena Soares, proposed that President Jean-Bertrand Aristide 
and prime minister Marc Louis Bazin each send a representative to meet in 
Washington Next Tuesday.  Mr. Soares proposed that the meeting take place in 
his presence.  The Office of the Presidential Commission apponted by President 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide has not yet reacted.  Commission members state that, up 
to now, they have only received information through the press.  With regard to 
the de facto government, a decision must be made in the council of ministers 
before probable acceptance of this meeeting.

The case of Haiti will again be studies by one of the principle 
bodies of the Organization of American States.  Tropic FM announces 
that, according to a source in Washington, on August 28, the Permanent Coucil 
of that organization is to discuss the evolution of the Haitian crisis.

ARMY

Appointment.  By decision of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, 
Lieutenant Colonel Leopold Clairjeune was named commander of the 
Department of the North-West.  In this post he replaces a colonel transferred to 
Port-au-Prince.  

PARLIAMENT

Three ministers of the Bazin government summoned to the Senate 
on August 25.  The ministers of Education, Interior and Justice of the Bazin 
government were summoned to appear in the Senate at the request of Senator 
Guy Bauduy.  In a long intervention at the beginning of the session, the senator 
denounced numerous cases of human rights violations perpetrated in the 
Department of the South-East.  He also noted several arbitrary dismissals of 
teachers in Jacmel considered to be suppporters of President Aristide (he 
particularly denounced the case of a female teacher who was whopped by 
soldiers).  Some of these [teachers] are in hiding, he noted.  He proposed 
creation of an interministerial commission of inquiry.

The Interior Minister, Carl Michel Nicolas stated: " We have a situation in the 
country where passion exceeds reason, but when we are informed by 
parlementarians that there are situations requiring rectification, we intervene."  
He went on to say, "only working together and mutual understanding will permit 
elimination of violence in the country."

He held immigration employees responsible for repeated interference 
experienced at the Mais Gate airport by mayor-elect of Port-au-Prince, Mr. 
Evans Paul.  "These are immigration employees at the airport who display an 
excess of zeal.  The Interior Minister has no dossier against Evans Paul," stated 
Mr. Nicolas before the Senate.

Senator Wesner Emmanuel demanded suppression of beating by the Army 
across the country.  Senator emmanuel termed beating "a humiliating act" for 
the victim and the torturer.  According to the senator, at 12 years before the 
bicentennial of our independence, "Are we going to be a museum of 
repression?"

Some other senators also reported many cases of repression in different 
Departments of the country....

POLITICAL PARTIES

KONAKOM and PANPRA IN THE Dominican Republic Delegations 
from these two political parties went to the Dominican Republicto participate in a 
meeting with the Latin American-Caribbean section of the socialist International 
(SICLAC)  This meeting began on Tuesday August 25 and ended on 
Wednesday.

Reaction of MDH after the visit of the OAS Secretary General to 
Haiti.  Hubert de Ronceray's party notes positive and negative aspects of the 
visit.  On the negative side, MDH points out that the mission said nothing about 
"Operation Cesarienne", about murderous attacks against officers, soldiers and 
civilians.

Under the heading of human rights, the Party noted that the OAS mission did 
not mention violations of its own charter, violations of the Haitian Constitution 
and the thousands of deaths caused by the embargo and the situation of 40,000 
boat people.

On the positive side: the MDN emphasized that the Organization of American 
States has ceased being thoughtless and unilateral in its resolutions.  It also 
noted that the mission was silent on its new attempt to return Jean-Bertrand 
Aristide to power.  The MDH hopes that the "Organization of American States 
will draw lessons from this mission to Haiti, especially relative to leaving 
Haitians to handle their own business."


II. HUMAN RIGHTS

PORT-AU-PRINCE

Disapppearance of a young man. On August 27, the media announced 
that a young man named Alix Mondesir had been abducted by two unknown 
armed individuals.  According to family members, searches of detention centers 
have been of no avail up to now.  Alix Mondesir, who lived in Carrefour, was 
accosted by these two individuals, who threatened him with their weapons 
before leaving with him, according to testimony received by his family.

Radio Metropole on the Repression.  This station broadcast a long report 
by Jean Max Blanc (who is also a Voice of America correspondent)  on the 
torture undergone by prisoners at the Petionville barracks.  Various testimony 
by prisoners was rebroadcast.  They affirmed having been subjected to beating 
and all sorts of humiliation, and that there had been adolescents among them.  
They noted the mistreatment to which they were subjected at the time of their 
imprisonment.  According to one of them, he lost an eye as a result of torture.  
The same news was later rebroadcast on Voice of America.
This sudden breach of silence on Radio Metropole concerning the repression 
surprised observers.

PROVINCES

Miragoane: A Catholic priest and four civilians apprehended by a 
solider and three civil militiamen in a Miragoane locality.  Father 
Valery Rebecca, Belle-Riviere parish priest, a locality of Lomon (communal 
section of Miragoane) was arrested on Monday August 24, 1992 in that locality 
by three civil militiamen.  
According to the Bishopric of Cayes, the priest was taken to the Miragoane 
barracks where he has since been detained.  The priest, a member of the 
Brotherhood of Priests of the South, has already been interrogated at 
Miragoane military headquarters several times since the coup d'etat of 
September 30, 1991, according to the same source.  The motive for this arrest 
without warrant is not known, according to sources close to the Parish of Belle-
Riviere.  (AHP, August 26, 1992)

Cap-Haitien: Spokesman of the Milot Peasant Movement arrested 
on August 22 in Cap-Haitien.  Moise Jean-Charles, spokesman of the 
Milot Peasant Movement (MPM) was arrested by the police at the enterance of 
Cap-Haitien on Saturday August 22, 1992 in the afternoon, the Haitian Press 
Agency (AHP) has learned.  

Jean-Charles returned from Ouanaminthe and was heading towards Milot by 
way of Cap when he was identified by some policemen in the public transport 
vehicle in which he was travelling.

According to witnesses, at the time he was arrested, soldiers asked Mr. Jean-
Charles to reveal the contents of the report which he made to the OAS 
delegation, since he was in Port-au-Prince at the same time as they were.

According to the same witnesses, the MPM spokesman was later taken to the 
police station at  place called "Lot bo pon", from which he escaped several 
minutes later, leaving his passport and other personal effects.

Without invalidating that version, some associates of Mr. Jean-Charles maintain 
that, since Saturday, he has shown no sign and noone knows whether he is 
actually still being detained or whether he is in hiding somewhere.

MPM headquarters was ransacked by soldiers on November 4, 1991, and the 
property of that farmers' association w2as confiscated.  Since then, the MPM 
has operated clandestinely. (AHP, August 26, 1992)

Leogane: A presumed thief killed at the Carrefour Dufort outpost 
(Leogane).  A young man known as Fritz was shot to death on Thursday 
August 20, 1992, at the police outpost in Carrefour-Dufort (Leogane).

Arrested the same day at Palmiste-Avin, communal section of Leogane, under 
accusation of having, with two accomplices, participated in the theft of a colt, the 
accused was shot to death without orders bythe sergeant who conducted the 
interrogation.  The reason given: the accused grabbed hold of his weapon.

However, according to different testimony, agreeing with that received by the 
AHP on this incident, the wrists of the accused were securely bound with a cord 
when he was killed and his body was buried near the outpost, against the 
desire of one of his relatives who was present.  

According to the same witness, the accused had not yet expired whenhis body 
was disposed of outside the outpost; the sergeant went to get a rifle to 
administer the coup de grace to the presumed thief.  He called for a justice of 
the peace before proceeding with the burial, the same sources reported. (AHP, 
August 26, 1992)

Montrouis.  A third year student at the Faculty of Law and Economic Science, 
Pierre Charles Bordenave, was arrested in Montrouis on Wednesday August 
19.  He was given the third degree because he didn't have his driver's license 
with him.  Bordenave was returning from a beach near Montrouis in his car 
when he was brutally forced to stop by soldiers posted in that area.  When the 
sergeant of that post asked for his driver's license, Bordenave replied that it had 
been confiscated earlier by Anti-Gang Service patrols during a search 
operation, and that he had to pay $30 to recover it.  The sergeant, in turn, 
demanded money to release him. Bordenave refused.  Thus, he caused himself 
to be treated as a Lavalas supporter and a terrorist in the pay of President 
Aristide.  He was mistreated and thrown into prison.  A little later, the sergeant 
took him before Major R. Jerome where he was again interrogated.  Bordenave 
was released thanks to the intervention of the Colonel of Gonaives.  He was 
beaten on the face, the head, the waist and the buttocks.  He now suffers terrible 
headaches and sharp pains in the ears, eyes and head.

Five arrests in Thomonde.The Ministry of Information informs us that five 
individuals were arrested by the police in Thomonde on Thursay August 20 
under accusation of having assassinated Mesac Augustin.  The accused 
assassins told the Thomonde police that some Domincans had participated in 
that murder. (Le Nouvelliste, August 26, 1992)

Artibonite: Gonaives.  Claudomy Jean Philippe and his daughter were 
arrested in place of Milo Jean Philippe, son of Claudomy and student at the 
Faculty of Law in Gonaives.  In effect, Milo had paid his final examination fees 
for that Faculty and was standing in line with other students when Captain 
Castra apppeared.  The latter said to the cashier, "I am here" and Milo 
responded "We are here."  The Captain became angry and threatened to make 
Milo pay for his impertinence.  Very early Monday morning, some soldiers from 
Gonaives appeared at the student's home to arrest him.  Milo was not there that 
day, his father and sister were arrested, beaten and taken to prison.  A little 
later, Milo was apprehended on Christophe Street in Gonaives and taken to 
prison.  The three victims were severely beaten and are now hospitalized.

On Thursday, August 20, 1992, Isophe Danestor, FNCD official for the 
Department of Artibonite, 30 years old, was also arrested in Gonaives, on Grand 
Rue.  According to the information which we have received, Isophe had been 
one of the supervisors of the Gonaives election office during the elections of 
December 16, 1990.  olitical persecution had forced him into hiding after the 
coup d'etat.  He was apprehended on Thursday August 20, 1992 at the civilian 
court of that town by soldiers in uniform.  Isophe was severely beaten and is 
now in very precarious physical condition.

POSITION STATEMENTS

The Bishop of Jeremie protests the arrest of a priest in Miragoane 
and asks the OAS and the United Nations to claearly define their 
position in the Haitian crisis.  In a statement dated August 26, 1992, the 
Bishop of Jeremie, Mgr. Willy Romelus, president of the Justice and Peace 
Commission of the Catholic Church, strongly protests the arrest and detention 
on August 24 of the parish priest of Belle-Riviere, Father Valery Rebecca.

Regarding this arrest as additional evidence of the generalization of repression 
and persecution directed particularly against the Church, the Bishop stated that 
"all of these acts are perpetrated because the soldiers and the government, not 
supported by the people [of Haiti], still benefit from the support of foreign 
countries which supply them with weapons..."

The Bishop questioned the role of the OAS and the UN in the search for a 
solution to the crisis.  He noted that these two institutions have accomplished 
nothing in 11 months of crisis.  "It is time for that to stop," he added.

Calling for all to place their hope in God, who, alone, can help "escape from the 
claws of the eagle," Mgr. Willy Romelus recalled, as well, that the people are 
responsible for their own liberation.
...

III. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Lenders demand the return of President Aristide.  Representatives of 
several donor organizations and countries meeting at OAS headquarters in 
Washington on August 26, agreed unanimously that any resumption of 
economic aid to Haiti is conditional on the return of political stability.

The funders decided that they will provide aid to Haiti only after restoration of 
constitutional order and the return to power of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Delegates from Germany, Canada, United States and France were present at 
this meeting, as well as representatives from the following organizations: Inter-
american Development Bank, CARICOM, the High Commission for Refugees 
and the 
Pan-american Health Organization.

Statement of the permanent representative of the United States to 
the OAS, Mr. Luigi Enaudi.   "This is not the time for delay," was the 
position expressed on August 26 by the Permanent representative of the United 
States to the OAS, Mr. Luigi Enaudi, referring to the Haitian political discord.

Chicago: Haitians contest George Bush' decision.   The decision taken 
by the Bush administration to directly repatriate Haitian boat people intercepted 
at sea was warmly contested on August 26 by several hundred compatriots who 
live in Chicago in the United States.  The demonstration was organized on the 
occsion of a visit by George Bush to Chicago. 

IV. REFUGEES

The United States intends to legalize summary repatriation of refugees, and this 
does not apply only to Haitians intercepted on the high seas, according to a 
petition originating from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The judicial text stipulates that, in 1951, U.S. laws and the United Nations 
Convention on refugees approved legalization of repatriation of refugees, while 
making reservations.

Let us recalll that summary repatriation of Haitian refugees on the high seas 
was suspended on July 29 by the New York Court of Appeals.  This wave was 
migration was provoked by the political and economic crisis created by the 
overthrow of President Aristide last September and the commercial embargo 
decreed by the Organization of American States.

In the view of the Department of Justice, the United States justified the policy of 
repatriation in order to terminate the influx of Haitian boat people.

Repatriation continues...  Forty-nine Haitian refugees were returned on 
Monday to Port-au-Prince by the American Coast Guard.  Nine of these were 
detained by the police.  They were the organizers of the voyage.

Eleven Haitians, who were to have been returned to Port-au-Prince from the 
Bahamas by airplane, did not arrive due to hurricane Andrew which caused 
damage to the Bahamas.


                [Translated by Haiti Communications Project]



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