[Marxism] Central African Rep. officials: Aristide not permitted visitors

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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."

* * * * *

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