CBC Follows Meek in Effort to Free Imprisoned Haitian Priest

CBC Follows Meek in Effort to Free Imprisoned Haitian Priest

December 9, 2005

40 Members of the Congressional Black Caucus Support Meek's Call for President Bush to Secure the Immediate Release of Father Gérard Jean-Juste

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Kendrick B. Meek was joined by 40 of his colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in urging President Bush to secure the immediate release and ensure the safety of Father Gérard Jean-Juste, the founder of the Haitian Refugee Center in Miami and a beloved figure among the South Florida Haitian community.

In a letter drafted and circulated by Meek, the CBC members noted that Father Jean-Juste has been declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and was imprisoned under highly questionable circumstances. The Haitian judicial system has drawn increased international criticism in recent months with the prolonged imprisonment of some 1,300 in Haiti's National Penitentiary, who are being held without charge or trial, along with the imprisonment of Jean-Juste and former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, whom Meek visited in prison in May of 2005.

"It is critically important that the Interim Government of Haiti respect the Haitian constitution and the fundamental principles of human rights," Meek said. "The imprisonment of Jean-Juste and others casts a dark shadow on Haiti's government and will continue to burden the country's journey toward true democracy."

Meek wrote to Haitian Interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue in August and September 2005 expressing his serious concerns over political arrests and the Haitian judiciary's disarray. Meek's September 9, 2005 letter was cosigned by 33 other Members of Congress.

A copy of Meek's letter cosigned by 40 other members of the Congressional Black Caucus follows:

December 9, 2005

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The Interim Government of Haiti (IGH) has unjustly imprisoned the Reverend Gérard Jean-Juste. We write to ask that you use every resource available to secure his immediate release and ensure his personal safety.

As the first Haitian-American priest ordained in South Florida and as a committed advocate for immigrant-refugee rights, Father Jean-Juste has long been a respected leader in the South Florida community. The founder of the Haitian Refugee Center in Miami, Father Jean-Juste served as its Executive Director for ten years. He fought tirelessly to both challenge the status quo and to improve the treatment of thousands of Haitians living in poverty in that country.

Father Jean-Juste, who has since been declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was imprisoned under highly questionable circumstances. His continued detention by the U.S.-supported IGH underscores our failure to bring integrity to the Haitian Judiciary and to restore democracy to the country, the world's second oldest republic.

Mr. President, for these reasons, we urge you to take immediate steps to address these concerns. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.

Respectfully,

KENDRICK B. MEEK
MELVIN WATT
DIANE WATSON
MAJOR OWENS
MAXINE WATERS
CORRINE BROWN
CAROLYN KILPATRICK
GREGORY MEEKS
STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES
CHARLES RANGEL
SHEILA JACKSON LEE
EDOLPHUS TOWNS
JOHN CONYERS
CYNTHIA McKINNEY
ALBERT WYNN
BARBARA LEE
JULIA CARSON
G.K. BUTTERFIELD
DONNA CHRISTENSEN
AL GREEN
JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD
WILLIAM JEFFERSON
ALCEE HASTINGS
WILLIAM L. CLAY
JOHN LEWIS
CHAKA FATTAH
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
EMANUEL CLEAVER
DANNY K. DAVIS
BENNIE G. THOMPSON
ARTUR DAVIS
JESSE JACKSON, Jr.
DONALD PAYNE
DAVID SCOTT
ELIJAH CUMMINGS
GWEN MOORE
BOBBY RUSH
SANFORD BISHOP
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
ROBERT C. SCOTT

http://kendrickmeek.house.gov/press/2005.12.09b.shtml