Haiti's New Government Accused of Rights Violations

Monday November 1, 05:24 AM


PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Father Gerard Jean-Juste was feeding
children at his church in Port-au-Prince when hooded police burst in, firing shots,
smashing windows and throwing him to the ground.

The Oct. 13 arrest and imprisonment of the well-known Roman Catholic priest,
who three weeks later remained jailed on a charge that carries a fine
equivalent to 30 U.S. cents, cast a fresh spotlight on growing concerns over alleged
human rights violations by Haiti's U.S.-backed interim leadership.

A growing chorus of rights groups, joined by the Catholic Church and the
United Nations' special envoy to Haiti, have called on Prime Minister Gerard
Latortue's government to respect human rights in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Latortue's government was installed after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
left Haiti under U.S. and French pressure in the face of a bloody rebellion in
February. It is trying to quell an uprising that may have killed up to 170
people in the last two months.

"Human rights are being trampled underfoot," said Rev. Jean Hanssens, a
Belgian who heads the peace and justice committee of the Catholic Church in Haiti.

"When there are real charges, they should be formulated with evidence to
judicial authorities. But you cannot arrest people on the basis of rumors,"
Hanssens said.

Jean-Juste, who has spent decades working with Haiti's poor, is one of around
700 Aristide supporters in custody in the capital on vague charges.

"I was distributing food to a group of children when heavily armed police
stormed my presbytery and brutally arrested me without a warrant," he told
Reuters.

Although told he was suspected of financing the recent violence, Jean-Juste
was being held on a minor charge of disturbing the peace, which if proved would
cost him a fine of 11 Haitian gourdes (about 30 US cents).

INDEFINITE DETENTION?

Amnesty International has suggested Jean-Juste, a staunch Aristide backer,
may be a prisoner of conscience. "Indefinite detention without charge or trial,
as a rule too often applied in Haiti, contravenes fundamental human rights and
the country's main legislation," Amnesty said.

Local and international rights groups have accused the Latortue government of
carrying out arbitrary arrests and targeting Aristide supporters, while
former soldiers who killed police officers during the February revolt against
Aristide have not been charged with any crimes.

Latortue in turn has accused Aristide's Lavalas Family party of masterminding
the new outbreak of violence to hamper Haiti's political transition.

Justice Minister Bernard Gousse, rejecting allegations of rights abuse, says
Haiti is not holding people indefinitely without charges. He said Haitian law
allows arrests without warrants.

"When you have continued violations, you are in a situation of crime in
progress; therefore you can arrest without a warrant not only those who commit the
crime, but also those who are masterminding those crimes," he said.

Juan Gabriel Valdes, the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, called on the
government to respect human rights as it cracks down on criminal gangs responsible for
the recent violence.

"It is essential, for the government to be strong and respected, to respect
the rule of law and the procedures the country has given itself," Valdes said.

Port-au-Prince Archbishop Serge Miot accused the government of attacking the
Catholic Church and persecuting Aristide supporters. Police have threatened to
raid the archbishop's palace to search for bandits.

"There is a general political repression campaign against Aristide allies,
but that never solved the problems of any government. This can only make things
worse," he said.