[L-I] Haiti Action Alert: Aristide Under Lock & Key, U.S. Delegation Says

HAITI ACTION ALERT:
Aristide Under Lock & Key, U.S. Delegation Says

*take action to get the word out*

Dear friends,

We would like to encourage you help circulate the 
following press release on breaking news regarding the 
status of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who is 
being held virtually incommunicado on the instructions of 
U.S. authorities. We have established an easy-to-use 
system that will allow you to send the press release to 
the local and national media of your choice. This system 
also will allow you to send a brief customized message, if 
you would like, to the media outlet(s) you choose. By 
working together around the country, we can encourage 
and/or pressure the media to pursue this story.

Thousands of people in Haiti have risked life and limb in 
recent days to demonstrate in Port-au-Prince in support of 
the return of the democratically elected president of 
Haiti and in opposition to the U.S. coup d'etat and 
occupation. Take a few moments to help circulate this 
press release to show solidarity with the Haitian people.

Below is the press release, entitled "Aristide Under Lock 
& Key, U.S. Delegation Says." Below the press release is 
the link for the easy-to-use system that allows you to 
send out this press release to the media outlets of your 
choice.

ARISTIDE UNDER LOCK & KEY,
U.S. DELEGATION SAYS

March 7, 2004

A delegation from the United States has arrived in the 
Central African Republic to meet with overthrown Haitian 
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. President Aristide was 
taken involuntarily to the Central African Republic 
following a U.S. coup d'etat on February 28. The group was 
granted visas on Thursday and Friday and departed the 
United States on Friday evening.

The delegation includes Kim Ives from the Haiti Support 
Network, and Johnnie Stevens and Sara Flounders from the 
International Action Center. Ives, Flounders and Stevens 
are representing former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey 
Clark. Also on the delegation are Brian Concannon, acting 
in the capacity of President Aristide's lawyer; and 
Katherine Kean, a friend of President Aristide.

Kim Ives, a personal friend of Jean-Bertrand and Mildred 
Aristide, said "This morning, the delegation went to the 
Palace of the Renaissance, the presidential compound where 
President Aristide is being held." Mr. Ives had spoken to 
the Foreign Minister on Thursday to inform him that the 
delegation was coming to the Central African Republic to 
meet with President Aristide.

"We were stopped at the gates by a guard who contacted a 
Central African Republic official inside the building. A 
representative of the Central African Republic came out to 
speak with us," Ives reported. "We asked to go in to visit 
President Aristide and were told we could not. We asked if 
he could come out to see us, and we were told no. We asked 
if we could send in a note or our phone number, and we 
were told no. The official then told us that he had spoken 
with the Minister of Defense and that Aristide was not 
allowed to receive visitors."

Mr. Ives also reported that he placed a call to the cell 
phone that the Aristides have been using to place calls to 
their friends, attorneys and the media. "Mildred Aristide 
answered the phone. I said, 'Hello Mildred, this is Kim 
Ives, we are here.' At that point, the phone line went 
dead. We have tried to call many times since then but 
there has been no answer."

Brian Concannon is also a member of the delegation, acting 
in the capacity of President Aristide's attorney. Standing 
outside the gates of the compound where President Aristide 
is being held, Mr. Concannon requested to meet with 
President Aristide alone for a consultation. This was also 
denied.

"The world has been told that President Aristide is free 
to come and go, and that he has simply chosen not to 
leave," said Sara Flounders of the International Action 
Center. "The fact that our delegation has been denied all 
forms of contact with President Aristide confirms, in 
fact, that he is being kept under lock and key, at this 
point not even able to communicate by phone."

"The U.S. and French governments chose to take Aristide to 
the Central African Republic, a formerly colonized and 
impoverished country," said Johnnie Stevens of the 
International Action Center. "The Central African 
Republic, similar to many formerly colonized countries in 
Africa and around the world, has been isolated and 
underdeveloped because of the past policies of France, the 
U.S. and other colonial and neo-colonial powers. The U.S. 
and France should be paying reparations to the Central 
African Republic."

* * * * *

HELP CIRCULATE THIS PRESS RELEASE TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH 
THE HAITIAN PEOPLE

Click on the following link to send an e-mail to your 
local and national media outlets urging them to cover this 
important story:
http://www.capwiz.com/votenowar/issues/alert/?alertid=5296001&type=ME

After you click on the link, simply follow the 
easy-to-understand instructions. You will first enter your 
zip code and press "go." You will be taken to a list of 
media outlets. You can select the media outlets you want 
to send to and then choose "compose a message." You can 
then add your customized message (if you would like) and 
send the email.

---------------------------

Email circulated by:
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.InternationalANSWER.org
[email protected]
Washington 202-544-3389
New York 212-633-6646
Los Angeles 213-487-2368
San Francisco 415-821-6545

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