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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!gatech!ukma!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: AI Haiti: Fear of torture
- Message-ID: <1993Jan26.060211.28737@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Sender: news@mont.cs.missouri.edu
- Nntp-Posting-Host: pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Organization: PACH
- Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 06:02:11 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 145
-
- /** reg.carib: 602.0 **/
- ** Topic: AI UA008/93 HAITI Fear of torture **
- ** Written 9:17 am Jan 25, 1993 by caribdesk in cdp:reg.carib **
- From: Bob Thomson <caribdesk>
- Subject: AI UA008/93 HAITI Fear of torture
-
- /* Written 8:57 pm Jan 18, 1993 by lang@igc.apc.org in igc:misc.activism. */
- /* ---------- "AI UA008/93 HAITI Fear of torture" ---------- */
- /* Written 5:19 am Jan 18, 1993 by hrcoord@igc.apc.org in igc:carnet.alerts */
- /* ---------- "AI UA008/93 HAITI Fear of torture" ---------- */
- /* Written 7:05 pm Jan 12, 1993 by gn:rmitchellai in igc:ai.uan */
- /* ---------- "AI UA008/93 HAITI Fear of torture" ---------- */
- EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: AMR 36/01/93
- Distr: UA/SC
-
- UA 08/93 Legal concern/ 12 January 1993
- Fear of torture
-
- HAITI: Joseph SAINT-FIRMIN (female)
- Raymond AMAZAN
- Maxime HORACIUS
- Morpeau (second name unknown)
- and five others (names unknown to Amnesty International)
-
- Amnesty International is concerned at the reported arrest without
- warrant of the above mentioned people in the town of Les Cayes, in
- Haiti South department. Amnesty International is also concerned at
- reports that Raymond Amazan was beaten upon arrest by members of
- the security forces and fears that he, as well as the others, may be
- tortured while in detention. Raymond Amazan was arrested and
- ill-treated on two previous occasions (see UA 180/92 AMR 36/23/92,
- 1 June 1992 and follow up AMR 36/27/92, 12 June 1992).
-
- Joseph Saint-Firmin is the mother of the local branch secretary of
- Lavalas, the political movement that supported deposed President Jean
- Bertrand Aristide. Her daughter is currently in hiding. On 8 January
- 1993, members of the security forces arrived at her home looking for
- her daughter. The latter had apparently attended a commemorative
- mass in memory of Jean- Claude Museau, a school teacher who died a
- year earlier as a consequence of torture endured while in detention
- (see AMR 36/03/92 Haiti: Human rights violations since the coup).
- The security forces reportedly searched the house and arrested Joseph
- Saint-Firmin after she alleged not to know her daughter's whereabouts.
- She is reportedly detained in Les Cayes military barracks.
-
- The other above mentioned people are said to be supporters of
- deposed president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. They were reportedly
- arrested on 11 January 1993 by members of the security forces and
- accused of being "trouble-makers" (fauteurs de troubles) and of
- opposing the partial elections for the Senate which the de facto
- government is currently organizing. It is not known where they are
- being held.
-
- BACKGROUND INFORMATION
-
- Troops violently overthrew the democratically elected government of
- President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who took office in Haiti on 7
- February 1991, in a coup on the night of 29 to 30 September 1991.
- Since then Amnesty International has learned of widespread human
- rights violations committed by the security forces, including a large
- number of extrajudicial executions, torture and ill-treatment and mass
- arrests without warrant. Several of those detained by the authorities
- remain "disappeared". These abuses have been carried out by
- uniformed security force agents or, on some occasions, by men in
- civilian clothes ostensibly linked to them.
-
- RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes and
- airmail letters either in French, English or in your own language:
-
- - expressing concern for the safety of Joseph Saint-Firmin, Raymond
- Amazan, Maxime Horacius, Morpeau and other people arrested in Les
- Cayes;
-
- - asking for clarification of where the eight men detainees are being
- held;
-
- - urging that all the detainees be humanely treated and are given
- immediate access to their families and lawyers and any appropriate
- medical care;
-
- - asking that they be immediately brought before a judge and charged
- with a recognizably criminal offence or released.
-
- APPEALS TO
-
- Prime Minister:
-
- Marc BAZIN
- [Salutation: Monsieur le Premier Minister / Dear Prime Minister]
- Premier Ministre
- Palais National
- Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Telegrams: Premier Ministre BAZIN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Faxes: + 509 34 1980, + 509 23 2121
-
- Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces:
-
- Monsieur le General Raoul CEDRAS
- [Salutation: Monsieur le General/Dear General]
- Commandant-en-Chef des Forces Armees d'Haiti
- Grand Quartier General des Forces Armees d'Haiti
- Rue Geffrard
- Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Telegrams: Comandant-en-Chef des Armees d'Haiti Cedras,
- Port-au-Prince,Haiti
- Telephone: +509 22 3935
- Telexes: 20391 gqfadh
- Faxes: +509 23 9007, 23 9407
-
- Military Commander of the South department:
-
- Monsieur le Colonel
- [Salutation: Monsieur le Commandant/ Dear Commander]
- Mondesir BEAUBRUN
- Commandant du Departement Militaire du Sud
- Rue Mgr. Maurice
- Les Cayes
- Departement du Sud
- Haiti
- Telegrams: Commadant du Departement du Sud BEAUBRUN, Les
- Cayes, Haiti
-
- Chief of Les Cayes Police:
-
- Monsieur le Chef de la Police des Cayes
- [Salutation: Monsieur le Chef de la Police/Dear Chief of Police]
- Quartier General de la Police des Cayes
- Departement du Sud
- Haiti
- Telegrams: Chef, Police des Cayes, Les Cayes, Haiti
-
- PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
-
- Haiti en Marche (News weekly)
- 173 N.W. 94 St
- Miami
- FL 33150, USA
-
- and to the diplomatic representative in your country - please see the
- responses to this topic for details.
-
- PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Please do not send
- appeals after 23 February 1993.
- ** End of text from cdp:reg.carib **
-
-