PHA-Exchange> HAITI ACTION ALERT

[Claudio]

From: Jenna M. Loyd 
To: jennam at berkeley.edu 
 
HAITI ACTION ALERT  

April 21, 2005
 

HAITIAN GRASSROOTS WOMAN ACTIVIST & LABOR LEADERS ARRESTED, HARASSED BY POLICE

 

The situation in Haiti continues to be critical.  Since the US backed coup of February 29, 2004 followed by the occupation of Haiti first by US Marines and then by UN forces, approximately 10,000 Haitians have been killed and over one thousand jailed.  Grassroots leaders and other supporters of President Aristide are under constant threat. Your help is urgently needed to oppose the most recent arrest and harassment of grassroots labor leaders, an attack clearly aimed at undermining and silencing grassroots resistance to the occupation, attempting to halt the right to travel outside of Haiti, as well as stifling international solidarity. This harassment violates the protections of the right to organize workers contained in the Haitian Constitution and numerous international instruments to which Haiti is a party.  Lives are at risk.  Please circulate this email widely, and see the action suggestions below for other things you can do.

 

BACKGROUND:

 

Ginette Apollon, President of the National Commission of Women Workers (CNFT) was illegally arrested on April 19, 2005 at the Port-au-Prince International Airport upon her return from the Encuentro Mundial de Solidaridad Con la Revolucion Bolivariana in Venezuela.   Apollon was questioned by police about her trip to Venezuela, the purpose of her trip, who she met with and more.

 

Also illegally arrested at the airport were Paul Loulou Chéry, a prominent labor leader who is General Coordinator of the Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH); he was at the airport to greet Ms Apollon. The police illegally interrogated him about his work as a labor leader, and about his work supporting the return of democracy to Haiti. 

 

The activists were released after several hours, but had to agree to be interrogated again the following day. 

 

Both Apollon and Chéry are prominent critics of Haiti's interim regime, which was imposed by the U.S. and France and dominated by Haitian elites. The interim regime has raided union offices and arrested activists who are supporters of President Aristide without a warrant, and on the basis of vague charges.  

 

 What you can do:

  a.. Urgently contact the following and urge them to do everything in their power to immediately stop the harassment of Ginette Apollon and Paul Loulou Chéry: 
1.   HAITIAN INTERIM PRIME Minister Gerard Latortue, fax 011-509-249 5561 primaturehaiti at hotmail.com;  

2.   US AMBASSADOR TO HAITI, James B. Foley, 

Fax 011-509 - 223 9038         or 011-509-223-1641; 

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER Dana Banks, BanksD at state.gov; 



Please add your name to this action alert (see form below) 

  a.. Email this action alert to all on your email lists and ask them to send it to their email lists 
  b.. Post this action alert on your web site  
 

Time is of the essence if we do not immediately demonstrate international rejection of the persecution of these labor leaders/grassroots activists, the interim Haitian government will go further.  For Ginette Apollon, already in poor health, continued harassment could be a death sentence.

 

 

 

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Please keep me up to date on the developing situation in Haiti. 

Please do not hit the reply button to respond to this email, instead, please send on your endorsement an/or questions by email   jyk4haiti at aol.com  

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Suggestion for a fax or email to the above listed parties:

 

Date

 

I/We are writing to protest the illegal arrest and forced interrogation of Ginette Apollon, President of the National Commission of Women Workers (CNFT) and a grassroots women's rights activist, Paul Loulou Chery, General Coordinator of the Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH) and Mr. Chery, (Loulou's brother).  They were arrested on Tuesday, March 19 at the airport as Apollon was returning from an Encuentro she attended in Venezuela at the invitation of INAMUJER a Venezuelan Women's Rights Organization.  The police interrogated the arrestees about their solidarity work for several hours on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, and confiscated their telephones, a laptop computer and some videos; they questioned Apollon about who she met with in Venezuela and what she did there. Apollon, who suffers from high blood pressure, had to be hospitalized during the ordeal.  The interrogation is scheduled to resume on Friday, April 21. 

 

The arrests and interrogation can be seen as nothing more than an attempt to silence grassroots and labor union organizing, to undermine the right to travel outside of Haiti, and to stifle international solidarity.  This harassment violates the protections of the right to organize workers contained in the Haitian Constitution and numerous international instruments to which Haiti is a party.  There is growing concern around the world about this situation. 

 

We ask that you assure that the interrogation of Apollon, Chery and his brother and all other harassment end immediately, and that grassroots Haitians be allowed to exercise their right to organize, protest and travel without interference from police and/or other authorities. 

 

Sincerely, 

 


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