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23545: Joseph: Fwd: [SALT] Message from Bill Quigley in Haiti (fwd)
From: Dotie Joseph <dotiej@hotmail.com>
I don't know any details, but the following message came from a professor of
mine, and perhaps one of the most salient pieces of information to garner
is: "there is too much silence and people are being persecuted." If you need
to contact someone, it should probably be Mr. Quigley at
duprestars@yahoo.com or 011.509.401.4822 in Haiti.
Carrie Menkel-Meadow
Sent Thursday, October 21, 2004 9:25 am
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From Carol Chomsky
Date Thu, 21 Oct 2004 01:32:30 -0500
To SALT-LIST@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject [SALT] Message from Bill Quigley in Haiti
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The message below was sent to the SALT Board by Bill Quigley, SALT
member and the recipient of SALT's Annual Teaching Award last year.
Given the importance of the events on which he reports, and of his
first-hand knowledge of them, we're passing it on to the entire SALT
membership. Please consider spreading the word to others, including
public officials and the media. Thanks.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 10:38:42 -0400
From: William Quigley <duprestars@msn.com>
To: ansley@utk.edu
Subject: FW: Message from Jailed Priest in Haiti
Fran, can you help me please? I am still in Haiti and have been asked to
stay for a while longer to help on this case and help point out the
general deterioration of law here to english speaking media. Could you
please post this to salt board list, and any other law prof lists, or any
other lists that you can find - and ask others to help post it? The
situation here is very bad - there is no real law except the law of the
powerful. Miami Herald is following the story and I was on Democracy Now
this am, but there is too much silence and people are being persecuted.
Please help spread the word. Thanks for your help. peace, bill if
anyone wants to do a story they can reach me in Haiti at
011.509.401.4822. please let me know if you get this email
>From: bill quigley <duprestars@yahoo.com>
>
>Subject: Message from Jailed Priest in Haiti
>Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 08:50:20 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Please forward widely
>
>Message from a Jailed Priest in Haiti, by Bill
>Quigley.
>
>[Bill is a law professor at Loyola University New
>Orleans School of Law. He writes this from Port au
>Prince. Bill is one of the lawyers representing Fr.
>Gerard Jean-Juste.]
>
>Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste shares a small dark jail cell
>with 18 other men in Haiti. Their bathroom is a
>smelly bucket in the corner of the cell - open for all
>to see. When I visit him it is 96 degrees outside and
>much hotter inside. A prisoner who wants water or
>food must purchase it. There are no beds. At night
>they lie on the floor and try to keep the mice off.
>There is no water for bathing and no time outside the
>cell.
>
>The priest's crime? He has been an outspoken leader
>of the movement calling for the return of Haiti's
>elected President, Jean Betrand Aristide, who was
>forced out of the country in a coup in February 2004.
>
>On Wednesday, October 13, 2004, Fr. Gerard was dragged
>out of his rectory at St. Claire's Catholic Church in
>Port au Prince by masked heavily armed men. The men
>were dragging him and firing rifles and pistols at the
>crowd gathered to support their parish priest.
>Handcuffed, he was thrown bleeding into the back of a
>car and was sped away to jail, where he has been ever
>since.
>
>There are no formal charges against Fr. Jean-Juste.
>He has not seen a judge and it is not clear he ever
>will. No judge will review his case because it is
>"too political." The police wrote down that he is
>jailed for "disturbing the peace." The unelected
>government of Haiti says he was "aiding the uprising"
>and that they have all the evidence they need to hold
>him.
>
>This pastor joins a growing number of political
>prisoners in Haiti. The prime minister, the minister
>of the interior, the former mayor of Port au Prince, a
>member of parliament or two, a prominent woman folk
>singer and activist, are all in jail cells in Haiti.
>None have a date for a trial. None expect to have
>trials.
>
>Since overthrowing Haiti's elected government in
>February 2004, the unlected government, supported by
>the US, has ignored Haiti's laws and constitution.
>Fr. Jean-Juste is but the latest prominent victim.
>
>I met Fr. Gerard two weeks ago while visiting Haiti on
>a human rights mission for Pax Christi USDA, the
>vatholic peace movment. When I first saw him, he was
>in the middle of feeding 600 children their only real
>meal of the day. Later that evening, he told us,
>"Haiti has gone too far in being violent to our
>sisters and brothers. We must kneel down, ask
>forgiveness and start over." (Our report is posted at
>www.paxchristiusa.org).
>
>Two weeks later, during the same Wednesday meal for
>600 children, he was arrested.
>
>But Fr. Jean-Juste is far from defeated. Through the
>metal bars separating us, he smiled and whispered,
>"Like St. Paul and St. Peter, my body is in jail, but
>my spirit is free!"
>
>When I asked him what message he had for the people
>who support democracy in Haiti, he leaned forward, a
>rosary around his neck, and said without hesitation:"
>Insist that we return to constitutional order in
>Haiti. Demand freedom for all political prisoners.
>Respect the human rights of everyone. Pledge to
>respect the vote of the people. Advocate for the
>return of President Aristide so he can finish his
>electoral mandate through February 2006."
>
>Those who care about human rights and democracy must
>listen to the message of the jailed priest. And we
>must also consider the question, "If the unlected
>government does this to a priest, how are they
>treating the regular people?"
>
>Human rights workers in Haiti say the only way Fr.
>Jean-Juste is going to get justice is if the
>international community, especially the US, demands
>it.
>
>We must listen to the message of the jailed priest.
>And we must advocate for justice for Fr. Jean-Juste
>and for all the people of Haiti.