Consider writing letters, though it might well be a ‘fool’s call’ as the writer of the alert (Marguerite Laurent I think) says. It’s a ‘fool’s call’ but there’s no alternative. And a lot of attention quickly does help…
———————————
Urgent Action Alert
(Please distribute widely)
Masked Haitian police took Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil away today.
Demand immediate release of Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil
Around 5:15 this afternoon the Haitian Lawyers Leadership received a call from Haiti telling us that Haitian police, from the Delma police station, in a car marked with licensed plate # 0879, had entered Father Jean Juste’s presbytery, and was searching it, “destroying the place and generally creating trauma” to the people who were at the church at the time of the police invasion. Apparently, the men had black masks on and were accompanied by an investigative judge to give the exercise a semblance of legality.
The people from the Church and in the area of the Church, fearing the police would plant some evidence against Father Jean Juste to justify his continued imprisonment, alerted us and as many journalists as they could reach.
A half-hour later, we got a call that Kevin Pina and Haitian journalist Jean Ristil where inside the presbytery, asking questions and recording event as they were unfolding. We listened to a recording made by a journalist inside the presbytery and beamed out for broadcast to Haitian radio in the Diaspora as the search and rampage was taking place and learned, practically as it was happening, that the Haitian police had put Kevin Pina under arrest. There were other journalist there but Kevin Pina was placed under arrest. We don’t know the charges.
Later, we learned that after their rampage through the church, both Kevin Pina and Haitian journalist Jean Ristil were put in the police car, both under arrest, taken away by the Haitian police.
Please sound the alarm. We all know that UN soldiers arrested Father Jean Juste. We know that the Haitian police are under the supervision of the UN soldiers in Haiti. More importantly, we know that the grassroots in Haiti, with their leadership dead, in prison or in exile, have declared the people of Haiti, of Site Soley, Bel Air, Cap Haitien, St. Marc, and throughout Haiti, will only go to these sham elections if the killings and arbitrary arrests stop, the political prisoners released, Latortue government resigns and the people in exile return. Obviously, the Coup D’etat contingent can’t allow Father Jean
Juste out of prison, and certainly the UN have shown how cheap Black Haitian life is.
Frankly, it’s a fool’s call to go to the UN for help to release Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil or any of the political prisoners being held by the government the UN helped to bring to power, supports and helps to carry out its repressions, killings and arbitrary arrests. There’s enough evidence and U.N. history in Haiti, since the Coup D’etat, that underlines the U.N. are indeed complicit in the arrests and mayhem in Haiti. (See, the Harvard Report, Small Arms report, Miami Law Center Report, Amnesty International Reports) however, what’s the choice? UN talking heads, like Juan Valdes and Kofi-(n) Annan, say publicly they are in Haiti to bring peace and security. Let them know we know that they know the only way to bring more peace and security to Haiti is to stop the killings, to stop all arbitrary arrests including the current arrests of white American journalist, Kevin Pina and Haitian journalist Jean Ristil, to release the political prisoners including Father Gerard Jean Juste, to facilitate the departure of the Latortue government and the return of the Haitians in exile – those would be concrete and positive UN actions in accordance with international laws of justice, the UN charter, OAS Charter, the Haitian Constitution and the Geneva Convention, all of which acknowledges a nations right to sovereignty, self-reliance, dignity and self-determination.
Call, fax and write MINUSTHA in Haiti and the UN headquarters in NY and
in Geneva. Remind them of their legal duties as a world body for peace,
justice and human rights. Remind them of the people of Haiti’s 5-points: the only real foundation for the restoration of peace and security to Haiti.
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/law/5_pointsgrassroots.html
Sound the alarm to stop the arrest, torture or even murder of
journalists Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil by this UN/US death regime
brought to Haiti.
Contact information is below and on our website at
http://www.margueritelaurent.com/contactinformation/un-intl-contacts.html
Marguerite Laurent, Esq.
Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
September 9, 2005
Dear U.N. officials and Amnesty International
To: pereira17@un.org, kongo-doudou@un.org, beer@un.org,
cisse-gouro@un.org, fagart@un.org, inquiries@un.org, BanksD@state.gov,
presidentga58@un.org, president@whitehouse.gov, ngochr@ohchr.org
CC: louborda@delbrasonu.org, argentina@un.int, chile@un.int,
chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn, france@un.int, canada@un.int,
prnce@international.gc.ca, puechguirbal@un.org,
KonareAO@africa-union.org, embassy@haiti.org, kerryp@state.gov
Subject: Urgent: Release journalist Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil
(Fax and telephone numbers of UN representative in Haiti are on our
website at: )
*
For CANADA: Contact information for UN Officials and Canadian Members
of Parliament
Urgent: Help Prevent Further Massacres in Haiti! – Letter to UN
officials
Dear U.N. officials and Canadian Members of Parliament
To: valdesj@un.org, suzukia@un.org, inquiries@un.org,
urgent-action@ohchr.org, pereira17@un.org, Martin.P@parl.gc.ca,
mcdonough.a@parl.gc.ca, Pettigrew.P@parl.gc.ca, laytoj@parl.gc.ca,
Duceppe.G@parl.gc.ca
CC: medili@un.org, christian.do.rosario@undp.org,
amadou.kamara@fao.org, agonzalezregueral@unicef.org,
bonnevaubea@hai.ops-oms.org, Mamadou.mbaye@wfp.org,
kizito.bishikwabo.nsarhaza@undp.org, clavijo@unfpa.org,
marched@imf.org, roelandk@unopsmail.org, allenc@un.org, andy@acn2.net,
szejnera@un.org, banciu@un.org, bmalebranche@unicef.org,
buescher@un.org, bonnevauxbea@hai.ops-oms.org, cecchinir@un.org,
duvalrobert2003@yahoo.fr, elise.benoit@wfp.org, emilioc@iadb.org,
fanfanmel@yahoo.fr, fondpaixdev@hotmail.com, girardengo@un.org,
glherisson@yahoo.fr, goodsamtan@hotmail.com, ji.espinal@unesco.org,
joclau61@hotmail.com, machieng@iom.int, marcher@usaid.gov,
mouillefarine@un.org, msff-port-aux-princes@paris.msf.org,
myrlandeplb@yahoo.fr, paulgmagloire@aol.com, pccraig2004@yahoo.com,
rune.skinnebach@cec.eu.int
Subject: Urgent: Release journalist Kevin Pina and Jean Ristil
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Call and write the United Nations: 212-963-4879, presidentga58@un.org
*
UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
PHONE: 011.509.244.9650.9660
FAX: 011.509.244.9366/67
Or, Fax, Office of General Secretary (New York) – 212.963.4879
Hon. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General
United Nations
United Nations Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
inquiries@un.org; press office: (509) 510-2563 ext. : 6343
Ambassador Anne Patterson
Acting Permanent U.S. representative to the United Nations:
212-415-4050 or Peggy Kerry: kerryp@state.gov
Bacre Waly Ndiaye
Director-New York Office of the UN Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights
ph: 212-963-1583 or 212-963-5930
fax: 212-963-3463
Louise Arbour
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
ph: 41-22-917-9000
fax: 41-22-917-9011
email: ngochr@ohchr.org
Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: 41 22 917 9006
email: urgent-action@ohchr.org
*
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General
Juan Gabriel Valdés
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
385, Ave. John Brown, Bourdon, B.P. 557,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (W.I.)
Fax: +509 244 3512
Special Representative Valdés
Head of Human Rights Division
Thierry Fagart
Human Rights Division, MINUSTAH
385, Ave. John Brown, Bourdon, B.P. 557
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (W.I.)
Fax: +509 244 9366
+509 244 9367
*
Fax No. (212) 963-4879
Hon. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General
United Nations
United Nations Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
*************************************
Additional contact information:
Ambassador
Embassy of the Republic of Haiti
2311 Massachusetts Ave.NW.
Washington DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 745 7215
Email: embassy@haiti.org
U.S. Charge D’affairs, Timothy Carney
United States Embassy
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Telephones: 011-509-223-4711, or 222-0200 or 0354
Fax: 011-509-223-1641 or 9038
Email to Dana Banks, Human Rights Officer:
BanksD@state.gov
___________
Canadian Ambassador to Haiti, Claude Boucher
Embassy of Canada
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Telephone: 011-509- 249-9000
Fax: 011-509-249-9920
Email: prnce@international.gc.ca
________________________________________________
Ambassador of France in Haiti, M. Yves GAUDEUL
Embassy of France
51 place des Héros de l’Indépendance – BP 312
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Telephone: 011-509-222-0952
Fax : 011-509-223 5675
cc: Fax or send copies to:
Fax. No. 011-509-245-0474
Me. Henri Dorlèans
Ministre de la Justice et de la Sècuritè Publique
Ministère de la Justice
19 Avenue Charles Sumner
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
*
General Director of the Haiti National Police
Mario Andresol
Directeur Général de la Police Nationale d’Haïti
Grand Quartier Générale la Police
12 rue Oscar Pacot, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (W.I.)
Fax: 011-509 245 7374
*
Prime Minister
Gérard Latortue
Ministère de l’Intérieure, Villa d’Accueil, Delmas 60
Musseau, Port-au-Prince, HAITI (W.I.)
Fax: +509 298 3901
Salutation: Monsieur le Premier Ministre/Dear Prime Minister
Minister of Justice and Public Security
Justin,
I really want to do
Justin,
I really want to do this. But rubber-stamping a letter someone else wrote, no matter how strongly I agree, feels cheap. It seems that I can only expect to get results if I put some effort into it. So I try to at least add my own comments to the boilerplate text. But I am a very slow writer, so one of these letters takes a minimum of 15 minutes. On any average work-day I get anywhere from two to 10 of these. And I don’t get paid if I don’t get work done (being my own boss).
I’m struggling with the basic question, “Isn’t there a better way?”
One thing I know from long and painful (and current) experience is proactive activism beats reactive activism hands down. Put bluntly, fewer people die when we’re proactive.
How do you, Justin, pick your fights?
I am a reactive person. I have no interest in leadership, no skills as an organizer. But I am driven to help people I love who are asking for help (and the people for whom my heart breaks most are the poor and the powerless).
How can we fight more effectively?
I would strongly recommend
I would strongly recommend that Canadians also write brief notes to the following people in the Canadian media. Ask them to draw attention to Pina and Ristil’s case, but also ask why they haven’t appropriately addressed Canada’s complicity with repression in Haiti.
They are, respectively, Bill Schiller, editor of the Toronto Star, Linda McQauiag, Rick Salutin and Naomi Klein.
bschiller@thestar.ca
lmcquaig@sympatico.ca
rsalutin@globeandmail.ca
media@nologo.org
It would also be a good idea to challenge Schiller to publish your questions as letters to the editor.
Wouldn’t hurt to contact the editor of the Globe and Mail
egreenspon@globeandmail.ca
They’ll all probably ignore you, but letters would let them know that more and more people are aware of the situation in Haiti and of their inability or unwillingness to address it.
We should also be contacting
We should also be contacting Amnesty and asking them to do a better job on Haiti. Their reports have been infrequent and timid.
amnestyis@amnesty.org
Info@amnesty.ca
For example they have yet to publicly address the massascre UN forces committed in Cite Soleil on July 6 in spite of the fact that the UN has essentially admitted to it.
independet: Buncombe: Peacekeepers accused after killings in Haiti : http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article302259.ece
They responded to me once saying they have done “pricate interventions” in Haiti that I don’t see. We can see how effective those have been. It will take a lot of public pressure to turn things around in Haiti.
To Mark Demory:
I think
To Mark Demory:
I think Justin would agree on this recommendation,
http://www.zmag.org/aboutzmi.htm
Uhm, it´s biannual -last session was this june-, but I think they sometimes do second sessions if they gather enough quorum.
I´m completely sure you´ll find most if not all of your answers on the organizing and reaching out skills you talk about.
Enlightened´s word…
Yves Engler and Anthony
Yves Engler and Anthony Feneton will be in my home town in a few weeks to promote their book.
We’ve been spreading the work among local union members anactivists. Thats another thing to do
**************
Canada in Haiti: Waging war on the poor majority published by RED/Fernwood. For those interested in organizing a book tour/Haiti solidarity caravan stop in your community beginning in Ontario in early September, please contact yves: at (514) 807 9037 or yvesengler@hotmail.com
hey sunny..
thats some
hey sunny..
thats some pretty scary news, bro….
talk to ya tonight
cheers
ty