Massacres in Haiti: New legal complaints target the US and Brazilian governments

Elected officials and human rights attorneys call for action by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Washington D.C. 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 on Human Rights. Video and eyewitness evidence will be presented.

Who will be there?

• 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, 2004,
• 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-a-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.

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