Congressional letter to save the life of Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune

Congresswoman Waters and 14 other members of congress urge President Bush to seek the immediate release from prison of Haitian Prime Minister Yvon Neptune

Washington D.C. - Today, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) sent a letter to President Bush, urging him to seek the immediate release from prison of former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who is in the 26th day of a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment by the interim government of Haiti. Fourteen of the Congresswoman's colleagues signed her letter. Copies of the letter were sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador James Foley, the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. The text of the letter follows:

We write to express our serious concerns about former Prime Minister Yvonne Neptune, who is in the 26th day of a hunger strike to protest his unjust imprisonment in Haiti. We urge you to take action at once to seek his immediate release from prison and thereby save his life.

As you know, Prime Minister Neptune has been held in prison since last June without formal charges, and he has never been brought before a judge, as required by the constitution of Haiti. He has vowed to continue his hunger strike until the interim government of Haiti sets him free. According to reports, he is so weak that he cannot walk, and he slips in and out of consciousness. His internal organs are deteriorating, and his life is in grave danger. Prime Minister Neptune will probably die if the interim government does not release him immediately.

We implore you to do whatever you can to save Prime Minister Neptune's life and seek his immediate release from prison. Thank you for your attention to our concerns. We await your response.