U.S. delegation in Haiti meets victims of repression

The Commission of Inquiry of the International Tribunal on Haiti gathered here on Oct. 8 to collect testimonies from dozens of witnesses to the massive campaign of genocide that is occurring daily in Haiti.

The delegation is made up of International Action Center founder and former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark; Kim Ives, filmmaker and journalist with Haïtí Progrès; Katherine Kean, documentary filmmaker; Dave Welsh, delegate of San Francisco Labor Council; Capt. Lawrence Rockwood, former counter-intelligence officer in the U.S. Army who was court-martialed after unilaterally acting to save the lives of prisoners in Haiti's National Penitentiary in September 1994; Tom Griffin, immigration lawyer in Philadelphia, Pa., and human rights activist and author; and this writer.

Further evidence of complicity and direct involvement in atrocities was discovered through various interviews with victims ranging from 16 to 80 years old who have had loved ones, including infants, killed. These daily killings and massacres are being perpetrated directly or indirectly by the UN body called MINUSTAH now occupying Haiti. This UN force is continuing to provide cover for the illegal U.S. coup and kidnapping of democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

As evidence collected by the commission indicates, the Aristide kidnapping began the process of destroying the social, political and administrative organizations in this country and reintroduced the fascistic and terrorist organizations that had thrived during the administration of the U.S.-puppet Duvalier family. These forces have now been incorporated into the police here. Also, civilian attachés who are working with the UN forces are, along with the police, responsible for most of the violence occurring in Haiti today.

One young man shared his story:

"I had a job under the Lavalas government [of President Aristide]. After the government left, I was arrested and fired. We had to pay money to get out of prison. The money I paid to leave the prison has not been paid back.... They have abused me and taken my picture and put it all over the place. They fired me without any reason and arrested me. Up until today we are never in peace. At 2 a.m., 1 a.m., MINUSTAH comes and breaks down our doors. They also burned down a lot of homes in Bel Air. We can't eat or sleep, we have to keep looking out for MINUSTAH and the police. When we're in the streets we have to look. They've given us spies. As long as you are considered Lavalas [Fanmi Lavalas, a political organization representing a mass, progressive movement headed by Aristide] you are considered a bandit. Even though they are treating us bad and we can't sleep, we keep our meeting in Bel Air, we keep our resistance. We know with God up in the sky we'll keep our resistance.

"MINUSTAH works with the police and keeps machete-carrying civilians on the side. They told us to register for the elections. We did register and they still arrest us. Go to the penitentiary and you'll see all the people in jail and they don't know why they are there. If we see the MINUSTAH with those people we run."

This young man has the documents with letters verifying his firing and arrest. These documents are signed by Justice of the Peace Pascal.

The writer is a leader of the International Action Center, Los Angeles chapter.