[Marxism] ANSWER alert about Aristide

["James Daly" <james.irldaly@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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

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