Foreign Aid Bill Includes Lee Measure to Ban Arms to Haiti

(Washington, DC) - The House today approved a foreign aid spending measure that included an amendment by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) that bans the sale and transfer of arms for use by the Haitian National Police and requires a State Dept. report on the involvement of Haitian police in criminal activity.

"The people of Haiti remain targets of political violence, torture and in some cases murder, and too often the perpetrators of this violence are the Haitian National Police, armed with US weapons free of charge," said Lee. "This amendment is necessary in the effort to restore democracy. Haiti desperately needs humanitarian assistance, and sending weapons only exacerbates Haiti's struggle with violence and the criminal activity within the Haitian National Police Force."

Lee's amendment, which was included in the FY 2006 Foreign Operations Appropriations Conference Report, prohibits all arms transfers and sales by the State Department for use by the Haitian National Police and requires an investigation into implications of senior and rank-and-file members in corruption, kidnappings, and narcotics-trafficking, as documented by the State Department's International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports.

Since 2004, as many as 3,000 weapons have been transferred to Haiti free of charge from the United States, and in all probability have gone to arm the Haitian National Police force. The United Nations and human rights groups have expressed concern about the involvement of Haitian police in political violence and human rights abuses.

The bill was approved by a vote of 358-39 and now awaits approval in the Senate before going to the White House and becoming law.

For more info:

Nathan Britton
Communications Director

Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee
1724 Longworth House Office Bldg.

ph 202 225-2661

fax 202 225-9817