26566: Esser (news): New Legal Complaints Target the US and Brazilian Governments for Recent Massacres in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser <torx@joimail.com>


Media Advisory: November 9th, 2005

For More Information: Seth Donnelly <ph:650-814-8495>

New Legal Complaints Target the US and Brazilian Governments for
Recent Massacres in Haiti:

Elected Officials and Human Rights Attorneys Call for Action by the
Inter-American Commission of Human Rights

What: A coalition of human rights attorneys, elected officials, and
academics will convene a press conference to address the wave of
recent massacres in Haiti and the culpability of the U.S. and
Brazilian governments in these atrocities. The massacres have been
perpetrated by US-financed and armed security forces under the
supervision of UN "peacekeeping" troops led by Brazil. The human
rights attorneys at the press conference will file lawsuits that
morning against the U.S. and Brazil before the Inter-American
Commission of Human Rights. Video and eyewitness evidence will be
presented.

When/Where: Tuesday, November 15th, at 11 AM, on the steps of the
headquarters of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 1889 F
St., N.W. in Washington DC.

Who:

• Representative Barbara Lee, US Congress
• Gilda Sharrod-Ali, National Co-Chair, National Conference of Black Lawyers
• Lionel Jean-Baptiste, Esq., National Conference of Black Lawyers,
elected official from Evanston, Illinois
• Kasey Corbit, Esq., National Lawyers Guild
• Thomas Griffin, Esq., author of Haiti: Human Rights Investigation:
November 11—21, 2004, Center for the Study of Human Rights, Univ. of
Miami School of Law
• Pat Clark, Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation
• Shirley Pate, Board Member, Ecumenical Program on Central America
and the Caribbean

Supporters of the lawsuits include noted historian Howard Zinn, MIT
professor Noam Chomsky, and Medea Benjamin, founder of the anti-war
group Code Pink.

Why: The Human Rights Crisis in Haiti is of Epic Proportions

Over the past year-and-half, untold numbers of Haitians have been
summarily executed or arbitrarily thrown in prison, tortured or
driven into hiding. The political violence is widespread, systematic,
and directed; the urban and rural poor suspected of being Aristide
supporters are the primary targets. Perpetrators of this violence
include the Haitian National Police and death squad elements working
with the police, as well as UN "peace keeping" troops. The violence
has continued unabated over this past summer. On July 6th, 2005, UN
troops carried out a massive assault on the poor community of Cite
Soleil in Port-au-Prince, killing unarmed adults and children. In
August, the Haitian police joined by "civilians" armed with machetes
carried out massacres in three poor communities in Port-au-Prince,
shooting and hacking to death civilians and reportedly targeting
suspected Aristide supporters. The UN occupation troops failed to
intervene and stop these massacres, despite their mandate to protect
the civilian population. Press conference participants will explain
why the US and Brazil bear particular responsibility for this human
rights crisis.

From:___________________________________________
Haiti-news mailing list
https://listhost.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/haiti-news