Rebels take hostages, trade them for leader (Haiti)

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Wed, Mar. 17, 2004



Rebels take hostages, trade them for leader

BY NANCY SAN MARTIN

[e-mail]


Haitian rebels kidnapped 13 Dominicans visiting a border city and traded them for an alleged rebel leader detained in the Dominican Republic, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

The incident happened over the weekend in the Haitian city of Ouanaminthe, across from the Dominican Republic's northwestern border town of Dajabón, said Caciano Lora, governor of the Dominican province that includes Dajabón.

Lora told The Herald that rebels also kidnapped two Dominicans last month to obtain the release of another rebel leader at the height of a revolt that helped force former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to resign and leave Haiti on Feb. 29.

''We complied with the demand because the lives of Dominicans were at risk,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``We were told they would assassinate them if we didn't release their leader. We can't allow them to kill Dominicans over there.''
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/8204175.htm

[orwell]

1. Haiti Homeland Security

Ah...nice to see democracy return to Haiti.

Thank you BushCoup!

(And now...back to our regularly scheduled programming)

O

[seemslikeadream]

2. Thank you BushCoup

[eablair3]

3. thanks for the post -- Haitian criminals kidnapping Dominicans now

the so-called "rebels" or opposition that were armed and trained are now kidnapping Dominicans and committing acts of terrorism.

it's not surprising, as they are criminals and murderers.

it is a little surprising that the U.S. doesn't seem to be concerned and doesn't seem to have any priority to arrest people like Chamblain.

even Amnest International has come out, on March 1, 2004, saying these guys should be arrested:

"Amnesty International urgently calls for the following:

1. that the Multinational Interim Force (MIF) commit to ensuring the disarmament of both the rebel forces and the pro-Aristide militias. The failure to disarm the disbanded Haitian military and paramilitary in 1994 has been one of the root causes of ongoing political violence in Haiti.

2. that the MIF guarantee that notorious human rights offenders with pending sentences for human rights convictions, such as rebel leaders Louis Jodel Chamblain and Jean Pierre Baptiste ('Jean Tatoune') are taken into custody and brought before the Haitian justice system. ..."

http://news.amnesty.org/mav/index/ENGAMR360122004

http://www.oneworld.net/article/view/79531/1/

Another REAL GOOD listing of some of the group of so-called "rebels":
http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr360132004

Despite all this, you hear nothing of the U.S. even being concerned with apprehending these criminals in Haiti. Of course, when you've armed and trained them and used them to undermine the government in helping to achieve a coup, then you might have a reason to not to be too concerned about apprehending them.

[eablair3]

4. Louis Jodel Chamblain - "rebel" leader

from that listing at Amnesty:

"Louis Jodel Chamblain - deputy leader of paramilitary group FRAPH convicted in trials of 1994 Raboteau massacre and 1993 extrajudicial execution of Antoine Izméry. Sentenced in both trials to forced labour for life."

on the murder of Izmery in which Chamblain was convicted:

"Antoine Izméry, a businessman and prominent supporter of President Aristide, who was gunned down on 11 September 1993 in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Port-au-Prince while attending a mass commemorating a massacre that had occurred five years earlier.(8) The gunmen burst into the church and forced Antoine Izméry to accompany them outside where they made him kneel down before shooting him twice in the head."

[Judi Lynn]

5. Excellent links, eablair3. Readers among us can really use them.

From your second link. (Haven't studied them all fully, yet)

"At the best of times, the spectre of past violations continues to haunt Haiti," Amnesty International said today. "At this crucial stage, when the rule of law is so fragile, the last thing that the country needs is for those who committed abuses in the past to take up leadership positions in the armed opposition."

How can they keep referring to blood baths as "human rights violations?

The Reagan/Bush/Bush admins. have definitely taken a toll on international rights watch organizations. Intimidation.

Very good to know they are at least making an effort to keep score.

[eablair3]

6. yeah, the last link is really good -- DEM NOW - CHOMSKY ON HAITI

btw, I'm a regular listener of Dem Now, and today they had part 2 of the interview with Aristide on, plus the last 15 minutes of the show they had a talk by Chomsky.

As always, it's really really interesting to hear Chomsky. And, it's even more interesting to hear his talk on the background in Haiti.

here's one link for it:
http://www.pacifica.org/programs/dn/040317.html