During the time of President Aristide's exile she took possession of land for which she has produced no title and operated a school on it. My father denounced the nun's actions on the radio, but he didn't take the land case to court until now because he has felt he can't trust the courts. Mr. Vy's house was pillaged and burned May 28. When a friend of Mr. Vy was missing and rumored killed, a group from a nearby community avenged the supposed death by burning houses and taking or destroying property of relatives of Sister Clerfont. The friend later turned up unharmed.
Land disputes are among the toughest challenges facing Haiti's corruption-plagued court system.
The CPT presence in the Artibonite valley plans to seek ways to avoid violence associated both with land conflicts and with the elections set for June 25. The incidents CPT investigated are not thought to be related to the upcoming elections, but they do raise security concerns in a country with a history of election-day violence. Christian Peacemaker Teams, P. O. Box 6508 Chicago.