For Immediate Release
September 9, 2005
Meek to Latortue: Illegal Detentions Undermine Legitimacy of Haitian Government
Congressman Joined by 33 Other Members in Calling on Prime Minister to Immediately Release Ailing Priest and Other Political Prisoners
WASHINGTON, DC-Today, Congressman Kendrick B. Meek, joined by 33 other members of Congress, urged Haitian Prime Minister Gérard Latortue to release Reverend Gérard Jean-Juste, who is now reportedly in poor health, and other unlawfully detained prisoners being held by the Haitian government.
"With the elections in Haiti quickly approaching, the detention of Father Jean-Juste and others will taint global opinion of Haiti," Meek said. "Haiti simply cannot continue down the path of sham trials, political arrests, and indefinite detentions without charge."
Father Jean-Juste, founder of the Haitian Refugee Center in Miami and a beloved figure among the South Florida Haitian Community, was arrested on July 21, 2005, and has yet to be charged with any crime. Haitian law requires charges to be filed within 48 hours of initial arrest.
"It is a sad day when a respected community leader, committed to helping the poor, is locked away in a prison cell while a convicted human rights abuser walks free," Meek said, alluding to Jean-Juste's imprisonment and the recent, controversial release of convicted murderer Louis Jodel Chamblain.
Meek also reiterated his long-standing concerns over the prolonged detention of former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and other prisoners, who have been held indefinitely without trial. Neptune has been jailed since June 2004, but only appeared before a judge after ten months of imprisonment and mounting international pressure.
The text of the letter (view in PDF) to Haitian Prime Minister Gérard Latortue follows:
September 9, 2005
The Honorable Gérard Latortue, Prime Minister
The Republic of Haïti
Minister Villa D'Accuiel Bourdon
Port-au-Prince, Haïti, W.I.
Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
We write to urge the immediate release of the Reverend Gérard Jean-Juste and other prisoners of conscience incarcerated by your government.
Their confinement comes in stark contrast to the Ministry of Justice's recent decision to release one of Haiti's most notorious paramilitary leaders from the 1991 coup d'état, Louis-Jodel Chamblain.
The Haitian Judiciary reportedly has yet to arraign Father Jean-Juste, although Haitian law requires that charges be filed within 48 hours of an initial arrest. This matter is now of even more immediate concern because news agencies have reported that Father Jean-Juste collapsed in his prison cell at the National Penitentiary, and that he fell unconscious for nearly twenty minutes. His lawyer has said that Father Jean-Juste is in poor health, citing his loss of more than fifteen pounds in less than a month.
Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune was also imprisoned unlawfully for more than ten months before his arraignment. He is currently still in prison, jailed now for more than a year and apparently without any prospect of a timely hearing. Reports that the government has presented no significant evidence in his case only support the claim that Neptune is being held without justification. Indeed, in an interview last month, Justice Minister Henri Dorlean conceded that almost all of the National Penitentiary's 1,300 inmates are currently imprisoned without charge and without trial.
Mr. Prime Minister, in the eyes of the international community, the continued illegal detention of Haitian citizens dilutes the legitimacy of governmental authority. We urge you take the necessary steps to discharge Reverend Jean-Juste, former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and other Haitian citizens who are currently entitled to release under Haitian law.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
http://kendrickmeek.house.gov/press/2005.09.09.shtml