[Marxism] Tens of thousands in Haiti march for rights, Aristide's return from exile

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

10's of thousands Demonstrate in Haiti for End of Killing Fileds 


http://www.ahphaiti.org/ 

AHP News April 14, 2005 English translation (Unofficial) 

Several tens of thousands of Fanmi Lavalas supporters demonstrate in
Port-au-Prince against political persecutions and repression and to
demand the return to constitutional order 

Port-au-Prince, April 14, 2005 (AHP)- Several tens of thousands of Fanmi
Lavalas supporters demonstrated this Thursday in the streets of
Port-au-Prince to continue to demand the release of political prisoners,
the end of political persecutions and the return to constitutional order
which was broken, they said, with Aristide?s forced departure. 

The demonstrators left from the populist district of Bel-air, past by
the districts of Solino, Caravelle, Pouplard and Christ-Roi and stopped
before the United Nations? office in Bourdon. 

During the entire route, the participants who were wearing t-shirts with
pictures of Jean Bertrand Aristide, chanted words hostile to interim
authorities whom they accuse of serious violations of human rights and
of using practices of summary justice. They notably mentioned the
justice officials who couldn?t help showing their happiness in public
Tuesday, they said, after a group of demobilized militaries, including
their leader Rémissainthe Ravix, were killed. 

Before the MINUSTAH office, where a policemen fence and a barbed wire
fence were installed, they stopped briefly to give a message in which
they declared that they want to get the attention of members of the
Security Council who arrived in the capital Wednesday on the « arbitrary
and repressive character of the government in place and on the sub-human
living conditions of the most underprivileged masses?. At the corner of
Aix Roi and Lalue streets, they were kept from taking John Brown Avenue
that leads to Champ-de-Mars where the National Palace is. So then, they
took Nazon to go back to their base. 

Several parents of victims of summary executions in populist districts
demanded justice and the arrest of the policemen accused of involvement
in these crimes. They warned MINUSTHA and CIVPOL officials against any
attempt to cover the crimes committed by police agents, but called them
to open serious investigations to shed light on the different massacres
perpetrated while they were in the country. 

Political prisoners? relatives took the occasion of the demonstration to
demand the release of all people imprisoned for their opinions. "There
can be no national dialogue while prisons are full of Lavalas political
prisoners and while President Aristide is in exile", they chanted
together. Spokesperson of the activists of Bel-Air, Sanba Boukman,
congratulated the MINUSTAH for giving security to the demonstrators. 

Samba Boukman also thanked grassroots activists of the party for coming
in masses, he said, to the demonstration that took place in calm far
from any presence of national policemen. "This peaceful march was
organized in order to show once again the international community that
we are still attached to President Jean Bertrand Aristide whose return
we continue to demand", the spokesperson of Lavalas activists declared.
Storekeepers of several public markets and students applauded the
demonstrators as they walked by. 

It is the first time since Arisitide?s departure that a Lavalas
demonstration could actually leave the borders of populist districts to
go in other districts of the capital. Recent attempts to do so ended in
bloodshed. Observers declared this first was due to Lavalas activists?
tenacity and to the presence of the Security Council in Haiti. A new
demonstration is called for this Friday, April 15, 2005. 

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