Updates on the PM Yvonn Neptune case

May, 2005 to present

*******
- MINUSTAH: Trial of ex Haitian P.M.Yvon Neptune without Jury is Flagrant Violation of Constitution

- Congresswoman Waters Denoumces Judges Decision and Interim Government Of Haiti

- Faking Genocide: Canada’s Role in the Persecution of Yvon Neptune, Part 1 and Part 2 by Kevin Skerrett, June 23, 2005:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=55&ItemID=8142
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=55&ItemID=8144

- Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune affirms that he has been without a lawyer since October 25, 2004 and denounces maneuvers he says are intended to drown him in a political swamp

- Report Dated June 10, 2005 from family and friends for Prime Minister Yvon Neptune (translated to English, June 29, 2005)

- U.N. envoy in Haiti wants jailed ex-PM released. June 24, 2005 - Reuters

- Examining magistrate of St. Marc order dismissal of charges against Prime Minister Yvon Neptune (Neptune still not released despite dismissal of charges) AHP - June 21, 2005

- Death Squads In Haiti: Neptune Near Death by Farhat Quaem Maquami, May 13, 2005
Go to: http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/dsd.html

- Former Haiti Premier gets his day in court, AP, May 26, 2005

- Haiti ex-Prime Minister charged over killings, BBC News, May 25, 2005

-Congresswoman Waters obtains additional suppport in Congress for the Immediate release from Prison of Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, May 20, 2005

- Letter From Roger F. Noriega, assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affair to St. Peterberg Times with regards to Yvon Neptune "refusing to cooperate with Haiti's legal authorities," May 16, 2005

- Congresswoman Waters and 14 other members of congress urge president Bush to seek the immediate release from prison of Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, May 13, 2005

- CARICOM Demands Liberation of Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, May 12, 2005

- U.S. Congresswoman Appeals To Bush To Help Save Neptune
Hardbeatnews, WASHINGTON, D.C., Mon. May 16, 2005

- Daughter Seeks Release of Haiti's Ex-PM, By VERENA DOBNIK, AP, LA Times,
May 11, 2005

_ Haiti Says Jailed Former Premier Doing OK, By PETER PRENGAMAN, AP, Sat May 14, 9:29 PM ET

*******
Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune affirms that he has been without a lawyer since October 25, 2004 and denounces maneuvers he says are intended to drown him in a political swamp
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Port-au-Prince, July 6, 2005 (AHP)- Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune criticized on Wednesday the attitude of a lawyer from the Group of 184 named Gervais Charles, whom he accuses of having mentioned his name on June 14th during a radio broadcast in Port-au-Prince in connection with a lawyer who Mr. Charles claimed was acting on behalf of Mr. Neptune before a court in Saint-Marc.

In a letter written "to whom it may concern" and sent to the media, Mr. Neptune said that he finally decided to react after the pernicious tale resurfaced on Tuesday July 5 over the airwaves of another radio station in the form of a news report stating that a decision had been taken by that court in connection with the so-called intervention of the lawyer reportedly acting on Mr. Neptune's behalf.

The former Lavalas leader challenged this lawyer and the interim authorities to submit to the general public some authentic documents establishing that any type of relationship at all exists between this lawyer and himself (Yvon Neptune). Mr. Neptune pointed out that as of October 25, 2004 he had dismissed attorneys Ephesien Joissaint, Myrbel Jean Baptiste, Irvelt Louis and Edwin Coq, whom he initially contacted after his illegal and arbitrary arrest and detention.

Mr. Neptune said that ever since he dismissed these lawyers, he has chosen to face the ordeal as a political prisoner without an attorney representing him.

"Why would one need lawyers when one is in the grips of a politically motivated justice machine", said Mr. Neptune. He deplored that the government on two separate occasions dragged him from his prison cell to transport him to Saint-Marc without even furnishing a court order to do so.

It is shameful and pitiful that the de facto government, which stubbornly persists in thrashing about in a pool of the most flagrant injustice, he said, should exhibit such an excess of incapacity to demonstrate even a minimum of intelligence.

Incarcerated for more than a year on grounds that remain unclear, Mr. Neptune declared that the whole thing is a heap of deadly shards of broken glass tossed, he said, in the swampy and stinking political pool that the de facto government and its henchmen are passionately filling up, in order to drown him.

AHP July 6, 2005 4:30 PM

*******
U.N. envoy in Haiti wants jailed ex-PM released
June 24, 2005
By Joseph Guyler Delva

Source: Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N23142977.htm


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, June 23 (Reuters) - The U.N. special envoy to Haiti called on Haitian authorities on Thursday to release former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, jailed a year ago on accusations he masterminded a massacre in February 2004.

Neptune, who served under former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was accused of instigating what Aristide foes have called a massacre of government opponents on Feb. 11, 2004, in a village near St.-Marc, 60 miles (100 km) north of Port-au-Prince. The deaths -- versions of how many people died range up to 50 -- occurred during an armed revolt that forced Aristide from power last year.

Neptune, who was charged in May, has rejected the accusations, which he says were politically motivated, and has reportedly refused food since mid-April to protest his detention.

U.N. envoy Juan Gabriel Valdes criticized the way the judicial system had handled Neptune's case and suggested the former prime minister could be freed while the case was prosecuted.

"Our appreciation of the legal system and the procedures followed indicate to us that it would be perfectly possible to release Mr. Neptune from prison even if his case continued to be processed," Valdes told reporters.

"We believe that serious attention should be given to Neptune's release," he said.

The Neptune case has become a focal point for critics of the interim government that replaced Aristide and is battling chronic political and criminal violence in the poorest country in the Americas. Critics say authorities have rounded up many Aristide supporters without cause. The government has denied any political persecution.

Journalists and human rights activists who visited the scene the day after the suspected massacre in La Syrie was announced saw five bodies, but other groups have said up to 50 people were killed.

A U.N. independent expert on human rights, Louis Joinet, rejected the notion of a massacre after he visited St.-Marc in April. Joinet said people who died were killed in confrontations between pro- and anti-Aristide groups in St-Marc during February last year and there were victims on both sides.

The government appointed a new justice minister this week to replace Bernard Gousse, who had been criticized for the Neptune case and for a chaotic judicial system in which most of those in prison have not been tried.

********
Prime Minister Yvon Neptune is still not released, despite order
of dismissal of charges given by examining magistrate of St-Marc.

Port-au-Prince, June 21, 2005(AHP)-General Coordinator of the Group of Defense of Political Prisoners’ Rights (GDP), Ronald St-Jean, asked the Tuesday the interim government to release former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune immediately.

Yvon Neptune has been incarcerated for over a year under the
accusation of participation in a massacre that was reportedly perpetrated at La Scierie, after he was accused by the two organizations known to be close to the former opposition to his government, the NCHR/Haiti and RAMICOSM.

According to Ronald St-Jean, an order of dismissal of charges was
given for him recently by the magistrate in charge of the case, Clunie Pierre Jules. He accuses resigning Minister of Justice Bernard Gousse and the public prosecutor of St-Marc of opposing to Mr. Neptune’s release. "I will hold Bernard Gousse and the public prosecutor of St-Marc responsible of anything that could happen to Yvon Neptune ", Mr. St-Jean declared.

For his part, former Lavalas deputy, member of the party’s political
commission Félito Doran declared that he was surprised that former
Prime Minister Yvon Neptune is still not released, despite the order
of dismissal of charges given by examining magistrate of St-Marc.

Félito Doran is happy with the fact that Bernard Gousse was pushed to resign for hindrance to justice and said that he deplored that
political prisoners continue to be held in detention. He calls to the
immediate release of all political prisoners, underlining that the La
Scierie matter is the fruit of Bernard Gousse’s imagination and that
of the NCHR/Haiti that became the RNDDH.

*******

Former Haiti premier gets his day in court
AP, Thursday, May 26, 2005

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Haitian authorities took former prime minister Yvon Neptune before a judge yesterday to hear charges of orchestrating political killings, more than a month after he started a hunger strike to protest his nearly year-long incarceration without charge.

NEPTUNE... on hunger strike since April 17 Neptune went before a judge in a close-door session in the western town of St Marc.

The former premier is accused of masterminding the killings of political opponents during the February 2004 rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, said Pierre Esperance, whose National Network for the Defence of Human Rights has been monitoring Neptune's case.

International pressure had been mounting on the interim government to either charge or free Neptune, who denies wrongdoing and started a hunger strike April 17 to demand his unconditional release.

UN officials said Neptune had been taken to St Marc in a UN vehicle, but declined to comment on his health.

Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue has denied claims from family members and others that Neptune was nearing death, saying the former premier has been drinking water with sugar, salt and vitamins and was in stable condition.

The judge was expected to read Neptune the charges and evaluate the evidence to determine how to proceed with the case.

It was unclear whether Neptune was accompanied by a lawyer. Mario Joseph, an attorney who has been representing Neptune, said the government had not notified him about the hearing.

The interim government accuses Neptune of being behind the killings of at least 25 Aristide opponents in St Marc several weeks before Aristide was ousted on February 29, 2004.

*********
BBC NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4581219.stm
May 25, 2005

Haiti ex-PM charged over killings

Former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune has appeared before a
judge to be charged with ordering political killings in 2004.Mr Neptune, who served under former President Aristide, has been on
hunger strike for a month in protest at being held nearly a year
without charge.

The interim Haitian government accuses Mr Neptune of ordering a
number of political opponents killed last year.

The alleged killings came just weeks before Mr Aristide was overthrown.
International pressure had been mounting on Haiti to either charge
Yvon Neptune or to free him.

The former prime minister says he is the victim of political
persecution.

The Spanish news agency Efe said he was taken to the court in the
town of St Marc in an ambulance.

Reports say the hunger strike - the second in three months - has left
Mr Neptune in a critical condition, though interim Prime Minister
Gerard Latortue denied he was near death.

Pierre Esperance, whose National Network for the Defence of Human
Rights has been monitoring his progress, said the hearing was a good
chance for him to defend himself.

However, the hearing was behind closed doors and it was not clear
whether Mr Neptune was accompanied by a lawyer.© BBC MMV

*******

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA)
http://www.house.gov/waters/

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
(323) 757-8900
May 20, 2005

CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS OBTAINS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IN CONGRESS FOR THE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM PRISON OF FORMER HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER YVON
NEPTUNE

Washington, D.C. – Last night, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) sent a letter to President Bush, urging him to seek the immediate release from prison of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who is now in the 33rd day of a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment by the interim government of Haiti. The letter is a follow-up to an emergency letter sent on May 13, which was signed by 15 Members of Congress. Last night’s letter was signed by 13 additional Members of Congress who had not signed the previous letter. Copies of both letters were sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador James Foley, the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. The text of last night’s letter follows:

We write to join in the May 13, 2005, letter expressing serious concerns about the condition of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, which was signed by fifteen Members of Congress. A copy of the earlier letter is enclosed. As of today, Prime Minister Neptune is in the 32nd day of a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment in Haiti. We urge you to take action at once to seek his immediate
release from prison and thereby save his life.

As you know, Prime Minister Neptune has been held in prison since last June without formal charges, and he has never been brought before a judge, as required by the constitution of Haiti. He has vowed to continue his hunger strike until the interim government of Haiti sets him free. According to reports, he is so weak that he
cannot walk, and he slips in and out of consciousness. His internal organs are deteriorating, and his life is in grave danger. Prime Minister Neptune will probably die if the interim government does not release him immediately.

We implore you to do whatever you can to save Prime Minister Neptune’s life and seek his immediate release from prison. Thank you for your attention to our concerns. We await your response.

*****
HLLN Note: The person who past this "Letter from Roger Noriega" to HLLN, wrote: "If anyone continues to entertain any shred of a doubt about the role of the United States in the illegal imprisonment of Yvon Neptune, here is an allaying letter from the man who knows best. Roger Noriega, a former aid to Jesse Helms, is the Bush administration's point man on Haiti and an advisor to the illegitimate and illegal de facto regime in Haiti."


----------------------------------Letter From Roger Noreiga______________
St Petersberg Times
May 16, 2005

U.S. is concerned about Haitian

Re: Former U.S. ally on hunger strike in Haitian jail, May 7.
Contrary to suggestions in your article, the United States has repeatedly
expressed its concerns about the health and well-being of former Haitian
Prime Minister Yvon Neptune.

We have also repeatedly expressed our concerns to Haiti's Interim Government that Mr. Neptune's case has not been processed expeditiously in accord with the Haitian constitution.

Unfortunately, the former prime minister has frustrated efforts to resolve
the matter by refusing to cooperate with Haiti's legal authorities, refusing
to eat and refusing medical attention abroad unless the government summarily drops all charges against him.

We acknowledge that during his final days in office, Mr. Neptune played an
important role in preventing further violence in Haiti after the resignation
of the previous president. We hope Mr. Neptune will agree to end his hunger
strike, obtain the medical treatment he needs to preserve his health andcooperate with efforts to investigate his case.

Roger F. Noriega, assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs, Washington

****************

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA)
http://www.house.gov/waters/

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
(323) 737-8900

May 13, 2005

CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS AND 14 OTHER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS URGE PRESIDENT BUSH TO SEEK THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM PRISON OF FORMER HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER YVON NEPTUNE

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) sent a letter to President Bush, urging him to seek the immediate release from prison of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who is in the 26th day of a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment by the interim government of Haiti. Fourteen of the Congresswoman's colleagues signed her letter. Copies of the letter were sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador James Foley, the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. The text of the letter follows:

We write to express our serious concerns about former Prime Minister Yvonne Neptune, who is in the 2611' 4ay of a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment in Haiti. We urge you to take action at once to seek his immediate release from prison and thereby save his life,

As you Know, Prime Minister Neptune has been held in prison since last June without formal charges, and he has never been brought before a judge, as required by the constitution of Haiti. He has vowed to continue his hunger strike until the interim government of Haiti sets him free. According to reports, he is so weak that he cannot walk, and he slips in and out of consciousness. His internal organs are deteriorating, and his life is in grave danger. Prime
Minister Neptune will probably die if the interim government does not release him immediately.

We implore you to do whatever you can to save Prime Minister Neptune's life and seek his immediate release from prison. Thank you for your attention to our concerns. We await your response.

---

Congress of the United States
Washington, DC 20515

May 13, 2005

By Facsimile (202) 456-1806

President George W. Bush
The While House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write to express our serious concerns about former Prime Minister
Yvon Neptune, who is in the 26th day of a hunger strike to protest
his unjust imprisonment in Haiti, We urge you to take action at once
to seek his immediate release from prison and thereby save his life.
As you know, Prime Minister Neptune has been held in prison since
last June without formal charges, and he has never been brought
before a judge, as required by the constitution of Haiti. He has
vowed to continue his hunger strike until the interim government of
Haiti sets him free. According to reports, he is so weak that he
cannot walk, and he slips in and out of consciousness. His internal
organs are deteriorating, and his life is in grave danger. Prime
Minister Neptune will probably die if the interim government does not
release him immediately.

We implore you to do whatever you can to save Prime Minister
Neptune's life and seek his immediate release from prison. Thank you
for your attention to our concerns. We await your response.

Sincerely,

Maxine Waters
John Conyers
Charles Rangel
Jan Schakowsky
Barbara Lee
Raul Grijalva
Sherrod Brown
Lynn Woolsey
Dennis Kucinich
Edolphus Towns
Donna Christensen
Melvin L. Watt
Major Owens
William Delahunt
Gregory MeeksCc:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Ambassador James Foley
Douglas M. Griffiths, Deputy Chief of Mission

*******
CARICOM Demands Liberation of Former Haitian
Prime Minister Yvon Neptune
Prensa Latina
http://www.plenglish.com/
May 12, 2005

Liberation of Former Haitian Prime Minister Demanded
Georgetown, May 12 (Prensa Latina)

New voices were added to the liberation demands for former Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, whose state of health is delicate, because of a hunger strike, as
confirmed by press media Thursday.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) demanded the provisional government
immediate liberation of Neptune in the last hours. Neptune had been arrested for 10 months without charges or trial, which is illegal.

The CARICOM call has had a wide repercussion here, and has been broadcast by local and foreign media, among them local newspaper Haiti en Marche, which insists on the great deterioration of Neptune"s health.

CARICOM said the Haitian interim government is the maximum responsible for the consequences of the delay in Neptune"s judicial process, and reminded it that legality should be fully respected in the country.

This is the second occasion in the last 3 months in which CARICOM demands the Haitian authorities to release Neptune (58 years of age).

Also, the release of other former officials of the deposed government of Jean Bertrand Aristide, who are confined since they were delivered to the new authorities on June 2004, is demanded. Among them, there is former Interior Jocelerme Privert, who also started a hunger strike in the last days.

CARICOM also urged the Haitian interim government to release several activists of the Lavalas Family, Aristide?s political party, who had been arrested for their political activities.

The representatives of the new Haitian government are forbidden to take part in the CARICOM ministerial and presidential meetings, since the fall of constitutional President Jean Bertrand Aristide, who is sheltered in South Africa now.

As told by the Haitian interim government, Neptune got arrested when he was found as responsible for ordering a massacre of opponents during the ex-military rise on February 2004

However, because of the repression by ex-military and the police against Aristide?s followers, more than 400 people have died in Haiti, as confirmed by UN sources.

sus/tac/obf/rr

*******

Hard Beat News
Daily Caribbean Diaspora News
http://www.hardbeatnews.com/

May 16, 2005

U.S. Congresswoman Appeals To Bush To Help Save Neptune
Hardbeatnews, WASHINGTON, D.C., Mon. May 16, 2005

U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, (D-CA), has joined the international appeal for former
Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, to be released from jail.

Waters, along with 14 other congressional representatives, sent a letter to President George Bush, urging him to intervene and seek the immediate release of Neptune, who is now in his 29th day of a hunger strike.

?We urge you to take action at once to seek his immediate release
from prison and thereby save his life,? stated the congress members.

We implore you to do whatever you can to save Prime Minister Neptune's life and seek his immediate release from prison.

Waters met with Neptune some 15 days into his strike last month and said then she believed he could die. She was among those who led the international charged that ousted President, Jean Bertrand Aristide, was kidnapped. And has continued to blast the interim government though critics have cited the move as motivated more by self-interest than by concern for the Haitian people, since her husband allegedly was a paid lobbyist for the Aristide government.

Copies of the letter were also sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador James Foley, the U.S. ambassador to Haiti. Neptune started the hunger strike on April 17 and has refused overseas treatment, instead demanding his unconditional release and for charges of orchestrating political killings during the February 2004 rebellion to be dropped. The interim government of Gerard Latortue has refused though Neptune yet to be brought before a judge
to hear the accusations against him even though he's been imprisoned for the past 10 months.

Meanwhile, the Latortue government has maintained that despite starving himself to death, Neptune is in stable health.

Caricom has also pleaded for Neptune's release as has ousted Haitian President, Jean Bertrand Aristide, who made his appeal from South Africa, where he has been granted exile.

Copyright - Hard Beat News 2005.
Hard Beat News.Com
Contact the editor at 718-476-3616
and Email: news@hardbeatnews.com

*****
Daughter Seeks Release of Haiti's Ex-PM
By VERENA DOBNIK,
Associated Press Writer
LA Times, May 11, 2005

NEW YORK -- The daughter of Haiti's former prime minister on Wednesday urged the international community to act to save her father, who has been on a hunger strike for the last three weeks to protest his 10-month detention without charge.

"Without the help and pressure of the international community, my father will die," Yvon Neptune's daughter, Maryvonne, said at a news conference. "I'm calling for action -- for people to actively and openly put pressure on the people who are detaining him."

Yvon Neptune is accused of orchestrating political killings during the February 2004 rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Neptune has not been brought before a judge to hear the accusations against him, though the Haitian constitution says that must be done within 48 hours. He denies the allegations.

Yvon Neptune, who served as prime minister under Aristide, was to be taken to the Dominican Republic for treatment earlier this month but he refused to leave, demanding his unconditional release instead. He started a second hunger strike on April 17 after being hospitalized following a 19-day hunger strike.

Neptune is being held in a special prison near police headquarters in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

Maryvonne Neptune, who recently graduated from New York University, said her 58-year-old father can no longer walk without help, "but he will not eat until he's released."

"His health is rapidly diminishing," she said. "He is really struggling."

She said she learned the details of her father's condition from her mother, Marie-Josee Neptune, who was able to visit him recently and is back in New York.

Haiti has been in turmoil since Aristide fled the country. More than 600 people have been killed since Aristide supporters in September stepped up protests to demand his return from exile in South Africa. Many fear the violence could thwart efforts to hold elections in October and November.

*********
Haiti Says Jailed Former Premier Doing OK
By PETER PRENGAMAN,
Associated Press Writer
Sat May 14, 9:29 PM ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - A jailed former premier who has been a hunger strike for nearly a month is in "relatively good health," Haiti's interim government said Saturday, contradicting his lawyer and family who said he was near death.

Former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, 58, has been jailed for 10 months without charge. He stopped eating April 17 to demand his unconditional release, his second hunger strike in recent months.

A psychiatrist visited Neptune for two hours on May 6 reported that Neptune did not display "any physical alteration that could justify urgent measures," interim Justice Minister Bernard Gousse said in a statement Saturday.

"The report confirms that Mr. Neptune enjoys relatively good health," Gousse said.
It was not immediately clear if government officials have visited Neptune since May 6. Calls to the government were not immediately returned.

Neptune's daughter, Maryvonne Neptune, on Wednesday pleaded for the international community to intervene, saying her father could no longer walk without help.

The government accuses Neptune of orchestrating political killings during a February 2004 rebellion that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, allegations he denies.

Meanwhile, U.N. officials reported that a Jordanian police officer was killed May 7 in Port-au-Prince after his rifle went off accidentally, becoming the seventh peacekeeper to die since the U.N. mission arrived in Haiti nearly a year ago.

***************
Congresswoman Waters Denounces Interim Government Of Haiti
Caribbean World Radio
www.Caribworldrado.com
http://www.caribworldradio.com/cms/publish/article_948.php
September 29, 2005

CARIBBEAN DIASPORA
Congresswoman Waters Denounces Interim Government Of Haiti

By Carib NewsWASHINGTON, D.C - Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35) recently released a
statement in response to reports that a Haitian judge ruled that
there is enough evidence to try former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune
for involvement in a massacre in the Haitian town of St. Marc in
February of 2004. The statement was released at an issue forum
entitled "Haiti: The Time for Action is Now," which was held at the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 2005 Annual Legislative
Conference. The Congresswoman's statement follows:

I denounce the decision of a Haitian judge to allow former Prime
Minister Yvon Neptune to be tried for participation in a massacre. If
the Interim Government of Haiti had any evidence against Prime
Minister Neptune for any crime what-so-ever, he could have been tried
in June of 2004 when he was first arrested.

Instead, the Interim Government chose to detain him illegally for
well over a year. It is long past time for the illegitimate and
unconstitutional Interim Government of Haiti to set the former Prime
Minister free.

It is especially outrageous that the Interim Government is planning
to charge Prime Minister Neptune with a massacre less than two months
after releasing Louis-Jodel Chamblain from prison.

Louis-Jodel Chamblain was a death squad leader who was convicted of
participation in the 1994 Raboteau massacre, a brutal massacre in a
low-income neighborhood of Haiti. Ambassador James Foley, the former
U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, said the Interim Government has tarnished
Haiti's image by continuing to detain Prime Minister Neptune while
setting this convicted killer free.

I also denounce the refusal of Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council
to register Father Gerard Jean-Juste as a candidate for President of
Haiti. Father Jean-Juste is a widely-respected Catholic Priest who
was arrested by the Interim Government two months ago.

Like Prime Minister Neptune, he is well-known and popular among the
Haitian people, and like Prime Minister Neptune, he is unjustly
imprisoned by the Haitian Government.

Several members of the Lavalas political party tried to register
Father Jean-Juste as their candidate for President, but they were
told that candidates must appear in person in order to
register. Obviously, persons who are unjustly imprisoned cannot
register in person.

It is now clear that the Interim Government of Haiti is determined to
eliminate anyone who could become a credible candidate in Haiti's
upcoming elections.

Only by imprisoning popular politicians and religious leaders can the
Interim Government make certain that its political opponents will not
win the elections.
--
Caribbean World Radio is a joint venture between Carib News and The
Black World Today.

***************
MINUSTAH: Trial of ex Haitian P.M.Yvon Neptune without Jury is Flagrant Violation of Constitution

Agende Haïtienne de Presse - AHP
<http://www.ahphaiti.org/>
October 14, 2005

AHP News - English translation (unofficial)The decision by Judge Cluny Pierre Jules to bring the Neptune case to a criminal trial without a jury is a flagrant violation of the
Constitution of 1987, according to the head of MINUSTAH's human rights sectionPort-au-Prince, October 14, 2005 -(AHP)- Thierry Fagart, director of
the human rights section of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) declared Friday that the decision by investigating Judge Cluny Pierre Jules to send the case against Yvon Neptune to criminal trial without a jury is a flagrant violation of the Haitian Constitution of 1987.

Judge Cluny Pierre Jules, assigned to investigate the case of the
alleged massacre at La Scierie (Saint-Marc), recently issued an order
to indict former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune and some 30 other
individuals accused of involvement in the case.

Thierry Fagart pointed out at a news conference that the Haitian
Constitution calls for suspects to be tried in the criminal court
sessions with a jury in cases of alleged "blood crimes" (the term
"blood crimes" is not defined in the Constitution but is often
construed as crimes resulting in death).

If this decision stands, said the MINUSTAH human rights official, it
would mean that Mr. Neptune and all the other accused will appear in
Saint-Marc and will be tried by a single judge who will not only rule
on the innocence or guilt of the accused but will also decide the
sentence that would be imposed if any defendants are found guilty.
It is evident, said Mr. Fagart, that if a trial is held in
Saint-Marc, there will be all sorts of pressures exerted,
particularly by sectors accusing Mr. Neptune.

Thierry Fagart said he hopes that the decision of Judge Cluny Pierre
Jules will be reversed on appeal or by the Court of Cassation.

The UN official asked the authorities to do all they can to correct
the situation because, he said, Haiti is experiencing a catastrophic
situation at the approach of the elections scheduled for the end of
this year.

"It is important that everyone get a grip of the situation to put an
end to the human rights violations, the impunity, the inequalities
that plague the country", said Thierry Fagart.

Two organizations reputed to be close to the former opposition to the
Neptune government, NCHRH/Haiti and Ramicosm were the first to blame
the former prime minister for the alleged massacre said to have been
perpetrated on February 11, 2004.

NCHR/Haiti director Pierre Espérance indicated at the time that 50
people were killed.

He sought to explain the absence of corpses by suggesting that all
the bodies had been devoured by dogs.

Several sectors and personalities such as former U.S. Ambassador to
Haiti James B. Foley found it scandalous that the authorities were
keeping Mr. Neptune in prison while releasing the number two leader
of the FRAPH paramilitary organization who was found guilty of
crimes, he said.

Louis Jodel Chamblain was sentenced in absentia for abuses committed
during the period of the coup d'état that continued from 1991- 1994.
Mr. Chamblain returned to Haiti in January 2004 to play an active
role in the armed movement against President Aristide and turned
himself in as a prisoner in April 2004 after he met with the
country's most senior judicial officials in office at that time.

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