[HNA] JFP News 8/24: Coup Protestor Gang-Raped by Honduran Police

[Kaveri Rajaraman]

We have heard of this in many ways before, but this is a documented case
that we should publicize widely. I am outraged over this and other rapes
being used as a weapon of intimidation by these golpistas.

En solidaridad, por justicia,

Kaveri


*Coup Protestor Gang-Raped by Honduran Police*
On Friday, Latin America scholars sent an urgent letter to Human Rights
Watch, urging HRW to speak out on violations of human rights under the coup
regime in Honduras and to conduct its own investigation. One of the things
Human Rights Watch should investigate is allegations by Honduran feminists
and human rights groups that Honduran police are using rape and other sexual
violence as weapons of intimidation against Hondurans nonviolently
protesting the coup regime.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/304<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=esMyRFZ7sprtboAygTBTrW36%2BK34ter7>

*Support the Work of Just Foreign Policy*
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*Summary:*
*U.S./Top News <#1234f2a0ccc0027b_1234f1d14516a9c8_August2409m1>*
1) Sen. Feingold called on President Obama to announce a timetable for
withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, ABC News reports. "After eight
years, I am not convinced that pouring more and more troops into Afghanistan
is a well thought out policy," said Feingold. "I think it is time we start
discussing a flexible timetable so that people around the world can see when
we are going to bring our troops out," said Feingold. "Showing the people
there and here that we have a sense about when it is time to leave is one of
the best things we can do," he added.

2) The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is part of the OAS,
published "preliminary observations" on its visit to Honduras. The
Commission confirmed a pattern of disproportionate use of force by
authorities, arbitrary detentions, and the control of information aimed at
limiting political participation. The Commission confirmed the use of
repression against demonstrations through the placement of military
roadblocks; the arbitrary enforcement of curfews; the detentions of
thousands of people; cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment; and poor
detention conditions.

3) The US promised the military forces it will deploy in Colombia will be
far from the borders with neighboring countries and that their intervention
in other nations would only be possible if these were to make a request, the
Buenos Aires Herald reports. The US Ambassador in Colombia, William
Brownfield, defined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
guerrilla group as the principal objective of the joint military action.
[This assertion undermines the claim that the basing agreement merely
reassigns the purported counter-narcotics functions of the base in Ecuador
which is closing - JFP.]

4) U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan say they don't have enough troops
to carry out their assigned mission, the New York Times reports. Admiral
Mullen described the situation in Afghanistan as "serious" and
"deteriorating."

5) There were widespread accounts of ballot-box stuffing, a lack of
impartiality among election workers and voters casting ballots for others in
the Afghan election, Carlotta Gall reports in the New York Times.
Preliminary results were not expected until Tuesday.
*
Honduras <#1234f2a0ccc0027b_1234f1d14516a9c8_August2409m2>*
6) The group Feministas de Honduras en Resistencia said it has documented 19
instances of rape by police officers since the coup, EFE reports. The
activists say that women taking part in the resistance to the coup are being
targeted.

*Iraq <#1234f2a0ccc0027b_1234f1d14516a9c8_August2409m4>*
7) Now that the Maliki government has taken concrete steps to put a
referendum in place on the security agreement with the U.S., the US should
stop trying to undermine the referendum, write Bruce Ackerman and Oona
Hathaway in the Financial Times. Instead, the US should make clear that it
respects the decision and prepare for the contingency that, if the
referendum is defeated, the US might have to withdraw from Iraq on a
timeline earlier than that advocated by Bush, though still not as early as
Obama and Biden advocated before the US election.

*Brazil <#1234f2a0ccc0027b_1234f1d14516a9c8_August2409m5>*
8) President Lula asked Obama to meet with the leaders of the Union of South
American Nations to address their concerns about Washington's basing
agreement with Colombia, EFE reports. Lula told Obama of the need for
"formal, legally valid guarantees that the equipment and personnel won't be
used outside the strict declared purpose." Lula urged the Obama to increase
pressure on the coup regime in Tegucigalpa to accept the return of President
Zelaya, something the Brazilian leader views as "indispensable" for
democracy in Honduras and the wider region.

*Haiti <#1234f2a0ccc0027b_1234f1d14516a9c8_August2409m6>*
9) Government authorities in Haiti face recent criticism over allegations
that they continue to jail political dissidents, Inter Press Service
reports. Amnesty International called for the release of Ronald Dauphin, a
Haitian political prisoner. Dauphin is an activist with the Fanmi Lavalas
movement of former President Aristide. He was seized by armed paramilitaries
on Mar. 1, 2004 - the day after Aristide's government was ousted in a coup.
In May, Rep. Maxine Waters wrote to Haitian Prime Minister Pierre-Louis and
Secretary of State Clinton, warning that the failure to provide adequate
medical treatment to Dauphin could "cause the injustice [of illegal
imprisonment] to become a death sentence."

*Contents:
U.S./Top News*
1) Feingold to Obama: Announce Withdrawal Timetable from Afghanistan
David Chalian, ABC News, August 24, 2009 2:27 PM
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/08/feingold-to-obama-announce-withdrawal-timetable-from-afghanistan.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=oEjJrz9LLqP0JHK0Ck6HB236%2BK34ter7>

The Obama administration has been keenly aware of discontent among many in
its liberal base with regard to its Afghanistan policy and an expected
request for additional troops following General McChrystal's upcoming
assessment of the situation there.

That liberal base just got a high-profile voice to lead its charge.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI, called on President Obama to announce a timetable
for withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. "This is a strategy that
is not likely to succeed," Sen. Feingold said about the troop buildup in
Afghanistan.

"After eight years, I am not convinced that pouring more and more troops
into Afghanistan is a well thought out policy," said Feingold. The liberal
Democrat said he has expressed his reservations with President Obama,
Admiral Mullen, and others inside the administration and he says he has
"never been convinced they have a good answer."

"I think it is time we start discussing a flexible timetable so that people
around the world can see when we are going to bring our troops out," said
Feingold. "Showing the people there and here that we have a sense about when
it is time to leave is one of the best things we can do," he added.

Sen. Feingold didn't offer up a specific timetable for when he would like to
see American troops out of Afghanistan. The senator opposed the war in Iraq
and eventually became a leading voice among Democrats in pushing the Bush
administration to adopt a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

In an interview with the editorial board of The Post-Crescent in Appleton,
WI this afternoon, Sen. Feingold highlighted that the three top terrorist
targets originally in Afghanistan - Osama bin Laden, al-Zawahiri, and Mullah
Omar - are now in Pakistan. "Aren't we helping to drive more extremists into
Pakistan?," Feingold asked. He went on to call Pakistan the home of the
"witch's brew of every kind of nightmare."

Sen. Feingold pointed to Af-Pak Ambassador Richard Holbrooke's recent
comments when asked about what success will look like in Afghanistan. "We'll
know it when we see it," said Holbrooke. "That's not good enough for me,"
Feingold responded.

Feingold said that he believes the United States needs to maintain its
ability to go after Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and continue operations there to
"make sure we can do the most we can in the remaining time."

The Wisconsin Democrat is starting to be a bit of a liberal thorn in the
President's (left) side and has some Democrats wondering if he may be
plotting a 2012 primary challenge to Obama.
[...]

2) IACHR Presents Preliminary Observations on Its Visit to Honduras
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, August 21, 2009
http://www.cidh.oas.org/Comunicados/English/2009/60-09eng.Preliminary.Observations.htm<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zQF2YPIx%2BSDlRNuWsfyrJG36%2BK34ter7>

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
(IACHR) today concluded its on-site visit to Honduras, which began on August
17, 2009. The purpose of the visit was to observe the human rights situation
in the context of the coup d'état of June 28, 2009. The delegation was
composed of the IACHR President, Luz Patricia Mejía; the First Vice
President, Víctor Abramovich; the Second Vice President and Rapporteur for
Honduras, Felipe González; Commissioner Paolo Carozza; and Executive
Secretary Santiago A. Canton. The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of
Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Catalina
Botero, was also part of the delegation.

The IACHR requested the visit on June 30, 2009, received consent from the
State on July 13, 2009, and came to an agreement with the President of the
Supreme Court of Justice to conduct the visit. The preliminary observations
presented today are based on information received before and during the
visit. The Commission will prepare a final report that it will publish in
the near future.
[...]
Along with the loss of institutional legitimacy brought about by the coup
d'état, which affects the regular functioning of democratic institutions,
during its visit the Commission confirmed a pattern of disproportionate use
of public force, arbitrary detentions, and the control of information aimed
at limiting political participation by a sector of the citizenry. The
Commission confirmed the use of repression against demonstrations through
the placement of military roadblocks; the arbitrary enforcement of curfews;
the detentions of thousands of people; cruel, inhuman, and degrading
treatment; and poor detention conditions. The control of information has
been implemented through the temporary shutdown of some media outlets; a ban
on the transmission of signals of certain cable television stations that
were reporting on the coup d'état; the selective use of power outages to
affect the transmission by audiovisual media reporting on the coup; and
attacks and threats against journalists from media outlets with editorial
positions opposed to the coup d'état.
[...]
The Commission learned that in demonstrations that were suppressed
throughout the country-including Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Choloma,
Comayagua, and the town of El Paraíso-there was a pattern of excessive use
of public force. In fact, several of the demonstrations held since June 28,
2009, were broken up by public security forces, both police and military,
resulting in deaths, cases of torture and mistreatment, hundreds of injured,
and thousands of arbitrary detentions.
[...]
The IACHR received testimony from more than 100 people verifying that the
repression of public demonstrations was characterized by a disproportionate
use of force. In fact, in the various departments to which it traveled, the
Commission received testimony about individuals wounded by lead bullets or
injured by blows with police truncheons and other blunt objects made of
rubber, iron, and wood, and about the indiscriminate use of tear gas, as
customary methods used to deter demonstrations. The Commission received
testimony from dozens of people with serious injuries to the head as a
result of the repression exercised both by police and military personnel.
The IACHR verified that men, women, and elderly people showed bruises on
various parts of their body, and it heard various accounts of people who
were subject to humiliation and torture. In San Pedro Sula, in particular,
the Commission was told that during the acts of repression, police officers
raped a woman, and several persons received blows to the abdomen and the
genitals, and pepper gas was sprayed in their eyes.
[...]
The IACHR has received information about situations that have arisen since
the coup d'état that constitute serious violations of the right to freedom
of expression. During the visit, it was confirmed that on June 28, 2009,
various media outlets-in particular, television channels and radio
stations-were forced, by military occupations of their facilities, to
suspend their broadcasts. In some cases, they were subject to technical
restrictions such as power outages and takeovers of broadcast repeaters and
transmitters, which made it impossible for them to report on what was
happening. It was also verified that several cable channels were taken off
the air and that TV programs that took a critical view of the coup were
suspended. Other mechanisms for controlling information have included calls
from various public officials, especially members of the public forces,
about the inadvisability of transmitting information or opinions against the
de facto government. There have also been detentions, attacks, and the
destruction of equipment that reporters use to do their jobs, as well as
violent attacks and death threats by private individuals against the media.
[...]

3) Conflict over US military bases in S. America
Buenos Aires Herald, Monday, August 24, 2009
US promises to stay away from borders
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/BreakingNews/View/9573<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ooAXFz6Zf2jnNAPLMhQvHm36%2BK34ter7>

The United States promised that the military forces it will deploy in
Colombia will be far from the borders with neighbouring countries and that
their intervention in other nations would only be possible if these were to
make a request.

The US Ambassador in Colombia, William Brownfield, assured that the
operations that his country's military forces undertake "won't be close to
the borders without specific authorizations from all the governments
involved," in reference to the fears in Caracas and Quito.

Similarly, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe said he believed "our agreement
with the US should progressively expand to include all the countries in the
region. This has to be efficient and practical, it cannot assume theoretic
positions." Brownfield, speaking before the governments in opposition to the
agreement with Colombia, said that Washington is willing to give
explanations "at the correct time," although he did not specify when that
would be.

Also, he defined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla
group as the principal objective of the joint military action between the
north and south American nations.

4) U.S. Military Says Its Force In Afghanistan Is Insufficient
Helene Cooper, New York Times, August 24, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/world/asia/24military.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2lIdc0YaVd0LVu7On5h%2Fvn0qw3d%2Fc1AO>

Bagram, Afghanistan - American military commanders with the NATO mission in
Afghanistan told President Obama's chief envoy to the region this weekend
that they did not have enough troops to do their job, pushed past their
limit by Taliban rebels who operate across borders.

The commanders emphasized problems in southern Afghanistan, where Taliban
insurgents continue to bombard towns and villages with rockets despite a new
influx of American troops, and in eastern Afghanistan, where the
father-and-son-led Haqqani network of militants has become the main source
of attacks against American troops and their Afghan allies.

The possibility that more troops will be needed in Afghanistan presents the
Obama administration with another problem in dealing with a nearly
eight-year war that has lost popularity at home, compounded by new questions
over the credibility of the Afghan government, which has just held an as-yet
inconclusive presidential election beset by complaints of fraud.

The assessments come as the top American commander in the country, Gen.
Stanley A. McChrystal, has been working to complete a major war strategy
review, and as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen,
described a worsening situation in Afghanistan despite the recent addition
of 17,000 American troops ordered by the Obama administration and the extra
security efforts surrounding the presidential election.

"I think it is serious and it is deteriorating," Admiral Mullen said Sunday
on CNN's "State of the Union" program. "The Taliban insurgency has gotten
better, more sophisticated, in their tactics." He added that General
McChrystal was still completing his review and had not yet requested
additional troops on top of the those added by Obama.
[...]

5) Intimidation And Fraud Observed In Afghan Election
Carlotta Gall, New York Times, August 23, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/world/asia/23afghan.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3Ihiu0KNHeqMkOllin06q236%2BK34ter7>

Kabul, Afghanistan - Reports of fraud and intimidation in Afghanistan's
presidential election continued to mount Saturday, with anecdotal but
widespread accounts of ballot-box stuffing, a lack of impartiality among
election workers and voters casting ballots for others.

A particular concern was the notably low turnout of women, who election
observer organizations said were disproportionately affected by the violence
and intimidation.

Election officials said that all the reports needed to be investigated, and
that it was too early to draw broad conclusions about the overall validity
of the vote.

The reports by election observers came as officials were still counting
ballots from Afghanistan's second nationwide election in the nearly eight
years since an American-led invasion ousted the Taliban.

More than 30 candidates ran for president, and while preliminary results
were not expected until Tuesday, the prospect of a runoff election appeared
likely, with the incumbent president, Hamid Karzai, facing a stiff challenge
from his former foreign minister, Abdullah Abdullah.

The reported problems also included voter intimidation, by the Taliban and
also by some powerful candidates, in particular local candidates running for
provincial council seats. Voter turnout appeared to be low, especially in
the volatile south where the Taliban is strongest.
[...]
*
Honduras*
6) Group Says Honduran Cops on Rape Spree Since Coup
EFE, August 21, 2009
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=341851&CategoryId=23558<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=KDAozJCkdl8tCHiUQVa%2BFm36%2BK34ter7>

Tegucigalpa - The group Feministas de Honduras en Resistencia said Thursday
that is has documented 19 instances of rape by police officers since the
June 28 coup that ousted President Mel Zelaya. There have been many other
cases of rape, but the women have not reported them out of fear of
reprisals, Gilda Rivera, the executive coordinator of the Honduran Center
for Women's Rights and head of Feministas, told Efe.

The activists say that women taking part in the resistance to the coup are
being targeted. "We've obtained testimonials from women who've been sexually
abused, beaten with cudgels on different parts of their bodies, especially
the breasts and buttocks," adds the report presented Thursday at a press
conference in Tegucigalpa. Others have been verbally attacked in a
systematic way with phrases like "Whores, go home," Rivera added.

She also said that some of the women who have had their rights violated
"have had to hide and live apart from their children and families to protect
their children and avoid raids at their homes."

The charges from the Feministas coalition come as a delegation from the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is visiting Honduras to appraise
the state of human rights since the army ousted Zelaya and erstwhile
Congress speaker Roberto Micheletti was installed as "interim" president. At
least a half-dozen Zelaya partisans have been killed in the wake of the
putsch.
[...]

*Iraq*
7) America needs to prepare for early Iraq pullout
Bruce Ackerman and Oona Hathaway, Financial Times, August 23 2009
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/30169c54-900d-11de-bc59-00144feabdc0.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2F2kURny5WCNxOkCkXfsywG36%2BK34ter7>

[The writers are professors of law at Yale.]

America's legal relationship with Iraq is falling apart. Nouri al-Maliki,
Iraq's prime minister, has announced a referendum next January on the
agreement that governs US military operations. If voters say No, as most
expect, Iraq will withdraw from the accord. Under the terms of the
agreement, American troops will then have to leave the country in January
2011, nearly a year earlier than planned.
[...]
The referendum would follow through on a pledge Mr Maliki made last
December. Back then, he followed Iraq's constitution and submitted the
accord to parliament for its consent. The assembly agreed, but only on
condition that the Iraqi people were given a chance to reverse course at the
polls. In pushing ahead with the referendum, Mr Maliki is taking his promise
to parliament - and Iraq's constitution - seriously.
[...]
Indeed, Mr Obama and Mr Biden campaigned for a more rapid withdrawal than Mr
Bush was contemplating. They set the summer of 2010, not the winter of 2011,
as their deadline.
[...]
With General Ray Odierno focused on the December 2011 withdrawal date,
American officials have been lobbying the Maliki government to renege on its
commitment to a referendum.

But now that Mr Maliki has taken concrete steps to put it in place, Mr Obama
should call a halt to these efforts to undermine the referendum. It was one
thing for Mr Obama and his team to forget their protests against Mr Bush's
unilateral actions. It is quite another to encourage Mr Maliki to run
roughshod over his own constitution.

At the earliest opportunity, Mr Obama or Mrs Clinton, as secretary of state,
should make it clear that they respect Mr Maliki's decision and that the US
military should start work on a contingency plan for expedited withdrawal.

If the Iraqi people vote No in January, America must honour their decision.
It is far better to leave early than to continue fighting in defiance of the
constitutions of both Iraq and the US.

*Brazil*
8) Brazil's Lula Talks Regional Concerns with Obama
EFE, August 22, 2009
http://laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=342079&CategoryId=14090<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f4or%2F6WOG2RYy%2BkU1w6Ebm36%2BK34ter7>

Brasilia - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva telephoned President Barack Obama on
Friday to discuss regional issues such as the possible stationing of U.S.
troops in Colombia and the recent coup in Honduras, the Brazilian foreign
minister said.

Lula asked Obama to meet with the leaders of the Union of South American
Nations, or Unasur, to address their concerns about Washington's prospective
basing agreement with Bogota, Celso Amorim told reporters in Brasilia.

The U.S. president told his Brazilian counterpart that he would consider the
idea, Amorim said.

He said Lula tried to convey to Obama that "there is a sensitivity in the
region" about the possibility of an expanded U.S. military presence, news of
which has brought angry reactions from leftist-governed Venezuela, Ecuador
and Bolivia.

Amorim also noted Brazil's own concerns about the proposed accord that would
allow the U.S. military to operate from up to seven bases in Colombia.

Lula, according to the minister, told Obama of the need for "formal, legally
valid guarantees that the (U.S.) equipment and personnel won't be used
outside the strict declared purpose, which is the fight against drug
trafficking, the FARC (Colombia's main rebel group) and terrorism."

Unasur heads of state are due to meet next Friday in Bariloche, Argentina,
for a special summit focusing entirely on the issue of U.S. basing rights in
Colombia.
[...]
Another topic addressed in Lula's 30-minute phone call to Obama was the
situation in Honduras, Amorim said

He said Lula urged the U.S. president to increase pressure on the coup
regime in Tegucigalpa to accept the return of ousted head of state Mel
Zelaya, something the Brazilian leader views as "indispensable" for
democracy in Honduras and the wider region.

No nation has recognized the coup regime, the OAS has suspended Honduras and
Washington has revoked the U.S. visas of Micheletti and several of his
associates. [Actually the U.S. has only revoked "diplomatic" visas - all of
the coup leaders are still free to travel to the United States - JFP.]

But the Obama administration has signaled that it doesn't plan any sanctions
to force the coup regime to step down.

*Haiti*
9) Calls Mount to Free Lavalas Activist
Wadner Pierre and Jeb Sprague, Inter Press Service, Aug 20
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48159<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=nwg7%2BC3nLs2mggHqJDC5x236%2BK34ter7>

Port-Au-Prince - Government authorities in Haiti face recent criticism over
allegations that they continue to jail political dissidents.

On Aug. 7, Amnesty International called for the release of Ronald Dauphin, a
Haitian political prisoner. Dauphin is an activist with the Fanmi Lavalas
movement of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He was seized by armed
paramilitaries on Mar. 1, 2004 - the day after Aristide's government was
ousted in a coup d'état.

According to Amnesty, "the delay in bringing Ronald Dauphin to trial is
unjustifiable and is politically motivated". The organisation "opposes
Ronald Dauphin's continued detention without trial, which is in violation of
his rights, and urges the Haitian authorities to release him pending trial."


Amnesty noted that Dauphin's health has deteriorated severely in Haiti's
National Penitentiary, which is notorious for the appalling conditions to
which it subjects inmates. One of Dauphin's co-defendants, Wantales
Lormejuste, died in prison from untreated tuberculosis in April 2007.

In May 2009, doctors examined Dauphin and called on the authorities to
immediately transfer him to a hospital. But today, nearly five and half
years since his original arrest, he has not seen his day in court and
remains locked up.

Demonstrations in downtown Port-au-Prince, with hundreds of supporters,
occur here on a weekly basis, calling for the release of political
prisoners. They are organised by local grassroots groups such as the
Kolektif Fanmiy Prizonye Politk Yo, Fondasyon 30 Septanm, Organizasyon
AbaSatan, and the Group Defans Prizonye Politik Yo.

At one protest, Rospide Pétion a former political prisoner and Lavalas
supporter, told IPS, "It is unjust to keep Dauphin in prison while criminals
are on the street working without prosecution. We ask for justice for Ronald
and all the unknown political prisoners from the slums."

Last year, the Inter American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ordered the
Haitian government to immediately improve prison conditions.
[...]
Ronald Dauphin is the last of 16 Fanmi Lavalas members and supporters
imprisoned based on allegations made by the organisation Réseau National de
Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH), as well as some relatives of the
victims, that a massacre was perpetrated between Feb. 9 and 11, 2004 in St.
Marc, 100 kms north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.

RNDDH received funding from the Canadian government for the prosecution of
the supposed perpetrators of the massacre. However, U.N. investigators -
despite U.N. hostility to Fanmi Lavalas and support for the coup-installed
government that ruled Haiti until 2006 - have not backed the accusations
made by RNDDH.

In 2005, the U.N. Human Rights Commission's independent expert on human
rights in Haiti, Louis Joinet, concluded that what happened at St. Marc was
that armed groups -supporters and opponents of the Aristide government -
clashed and that there were casualties on both sides.

In 2006, Thierry Fagart, head of the Human Rights department of the U.N.
peacekeeping mission in Haiti, rebuked RNDDH for never substantiating its
allegations by even providing a list of the names of the victims.

Amnesty International's appeal on behalf of Ronald Dauphin also called for
an impartial and thorough investigation into the events that took place in
St. Marc, and it observed that "The investigating magistrate has only
focused on the alleged crimes committed by the group supporting former
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and failed to identify the victims among
the former president supporters and their alleged perpetrators."
[...]
Brian Concannon of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH)
agreed that the shortcomings of Haiti's legal and prison system punish the
innocent and guilty alike.

However, Concannon noted that the coup-installed government of 2004-2006
"arrested hundreds of political opponents, some at the insistence of RNDDH.
Over five years after the arrests began, not a single political prisoner has
been convicted of any crime."
[...]
Others argue this is part of a pattern, part of a concerted campaign to
silence Haiti's poor that continues today with the blocking by the
government's Conseil électoral provisoire (CEP) of Fanmi Lavalas from taking
party in recent elections.

Speaking last Wednesday on Free Speech Radio News, Pierre LaBossiere, a
founding member of a North American-Haiti solidarity organisation, the Haiti
Action Committee, said, "We have petitions to President René Préval to free
the political prisoners. People shouldn't be in jail because of their
political beliefs."

"Because of their strong feelings that President Aristide is the true
spokesman for their aspirations they were put in jail on trumped up charges,
never a day in court and they are sitting there for years," he said.

In May, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters wrote to Haitian Prime Minister
Michèle Pierre-Louis and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, warning that
the failure to provide adequate medical treatment to Dauphin could "cause
the injustice [of illegal imprisonment] to become a death sentence."
[...]

Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RbBFckbl418qkgjIerpTOm36%2BK34ter7>

Just Foreign Policy is a membership organization devoted to reforming US
foreign policy so it reflects the values and interests of the majority of
Americans.


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