On Friday morning, September 12, at 1am, the Haitian government removed the security detail that has been guarding former President Aristide’s house since his return to Haiti in 2011. This came a day after a judge ordered President Aristide to be placed under “house arrest”, even though no such provision exists under Haitian law (more background in letter signed by public figures below). This is the fourth time since his return to Haiti in 2011 that he has been the target of a politically motivated legal case, previous charges were dropped before he could even challenge them in court. Legislative elections due to take place in Haiti in October are triggering a new chilling wave of repression aimed at President Aristide and his supporters.

We view these actions with the gravest concern and consider them a direct threat to President Aristide and his family, to other members of his Lavalas party, still the most popular in Haiti, and to the grassroots Lavalas movement. It is the latest step in a pattern of intimidation that harkens back to the days of the Duvalier dictatorship.

Please see below for what you can do, starting with contacting the U.S. State Department’s Special Coordinator for Haiti, which has been a key supporter of the corrupt Haitian government of Michel Martelly. Martelly gained power through an election with only 20% turnout, after Lavalas was banned from participating.

Let them know that we hold them accountable for the safety and welfare of President Aristide and his family, and that we demand an end to the harassment and repression against President Aristide and the Lavalas movement.

As you can see from the signatories below, many people are concerned. We must act now, in defense of President Aristide and the democratic movement in Haiti. Haiti has been under attack since the Haitian Revolution led the way for the ending of chattel slavery in the Americas. Haiti supported Bolivar the liberator of Latin America. We all owe a great debt to Haiti. Thank you so much for your continued support for democracy in Haiti.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

· Urgently contact the US State Department’s Special Coordinator for Haiti, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and the Congressional Black and Progressive Caucuses. Contact details below. Send the attached letter or one of your own.
. Please help to circulate the attached letter to prominent people and public figures and ask them to sign on.
· Send this action alert to your contacts, post on your website, circulate on Twitter and Facebook. We will be sending a press release separately that you can send to your media contacts.

Thomas C. Adams, US State Department Special Coordinator for Haiti
Phone: 202-647-9510 Fax: 202-647-8900
Email: [email][email protected]

John Kerry, US Secretary of State
Phone: 202-647-4000 (switchboard)
Fax: 202-647-8947
Twitter: @JohnKerry

Congressional Black Caucus
Phone: 202-226-9776
Email: [email][email protected]

Congressional Progressive Caucus
Email: [email][email protected]

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva
Phone: 202-225-2435
Fax: 202-225-1541

Rep. Keith Ellison
Phone: 202-225-4755

Issued by Haiti Action Committee [email][email protected]
• www.haitisolidarity.net and Global
Women’s Strike [email][email protected] • www.globalwomenstrike.net

BACKGROUND

Since his return to Haiti in 2011, President Aristide has led the reopening of the University of the Aristide Foundation (UNIFA), which now has over 900 students in medical, nursing and law schools.

Yet he continues to be the target of government repression. On August 21, Haitian police wearing black masks and carrying heavy arms appeared in front of his home as a Haitian judge issued calls to arrest him. Hundreds of people courageously surrounded the house to protect him.

This is the fourth time since his return that President Aristide has been the target of a politically motivated legal case. Each time the case has been dropped before he has had a chance to even defend himself. We can expect more attacks as legislative elections in Haiti draw closer.

Here is a link to a recent article from the publication “Jurist” which provides good background on the recent events in Haiti: http://jurist.org/forum/2014/08/lauren-carasik-haiti-democracy.php . Please also see: The USA’s Haitian Puppet Targets Jean Bertrand Aristide yet again (Telesur).