Haiti: Call for the IMMEDIATE Release
of Sanba Boukman!

URGENT ACTION ALERT - February 22, 2005

Immediate Action Requested

Call for the IMMEDIATE Release of Sanba Boukman!

Please call, e-mail and fax letters the officials listed below. Demand that U.N officials not hand over Samba Boukman to Haiti's abusive death regime, especially in light of the recent prison massacres, the death of Jimmy Charles, a Lavalas militant in Fort National, murdered after being handed over by U.N. troops in Haiti to the Haitian National police. Those in custody and prison in Haiti right now are in GRAVE danger of summary execution, kidnaping as happened to Yvon Neptune and Privert last weekend, or imminent death, especially and precisely IF they are supporters of the Constitutional government these defacto authorities illegally replaced.

Tell the MINUSTHA:

"DON'T HAND OVER SAMBA BOUKMAN OR ANY OTHER HAITIAN DETAINEE TO THE MURDEROUS HAITIAN NATIONAL POLICE!"

Save a life. Prevent more summary executions in Haiti.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Sanba Boukman, a leader of Lavalas grassroots organizations (Mouvman Rezistans Baz Popilè) in Bel Air , which includes more than 23 grassroots democracy organizations all over Haiti, was arrested today by the MINUSTHA troops as he was returning from a planning session for peaceful demonstrations against the coup d'etat. Demonstrations scheduled for the anniversary of the February 29, 2004 Coup d'etat, planned in Haiti and around the world for this coming February 24th, 27th, and 28th

Sanba Boukman's supporters say they are holding the United Nations mission responsible for his safety.

Our latest information indicates that Sanba Boukman is still in the hands of MINUSTHA (U.N.) troops in Haiti. He has not been charged with a crime yet. He was alleged to have been carrying differend I.D.s. However, all our information indicate he was targeted for arrest because of his affiliation with Lavalas and planning of peaceful demonstrations for against the Coup d'etat. There has been a systematic witch hunt and incarceration of all Lavalas leaders since the Coup d'etat and for the moment the reason for this illegal arrest seems to be in order to thwart the massive protests which are happening not just in Haiti but all over the world around the one-year anniversary of the February 29, 2004 Coup D'etat.

We are demanding that MINUSTHA not turn over Samba Boukman, one of the few popular Lavalas leaders left in Haiti, to the prison authorities and death squads of the Latortue police and government. Not only because of the prison massacre of Dec. 1, 2004; the former military prison break last weekend, but because of the inability of the interim government to prevent the former military and restructured police from executing prisoners and detainees.

In fact, the last time MINUSTHA turned over a Lavalas militant - Jimmy Charles- to the Haitian restructured "police", he was subsequently found murdered.

Further information on Sanba Boukman and his grassroots organization's 7-point plan to return democracy to Haiti may be found in the Miami Law Center report (page 16, 17 & 61) at http://www.law.miami.edu/news/368.html. (See also the AHP report below - unofficially translated by HLLN into English in order to immediately get this Urgent Action Alert to our readers. The French version below is the official and sanctioned AHP release.) *******

Port-au-Prince, February 2005 (AHP) - Today, MINUSTHA soldiers arrested Sanba Boukman, spokesperson of Lavalas militants in Bel Air.

According to another militant, Sanba Makandal, Sanba Boukman was arrested on Rue St. Martin following a meeting with other militants where they were planning mass demonstrations to commemorate the first anniversary of the forced departure of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Sanba Makandal called on all Lavalas militants to remain mobilized for the mass demonstrations planned for this coming February 24th, 27th, and 28th.

Lavalas militants in Site Soleil have echoed the same position and have also stated that they hold the MINUSTHA personally responsible for Sanba Boukman's safety.

Jimmy Charles, another youth recently arrested by the MINUSHTA and turned over to the Haitian National Police was later found in the morgue of the State General Hospital riddled with bullets while he was supposed to be in the custody of prison officials.

Rene Momplaisir of the Grassroots Lavalas organizations has vowed that they will remain mobilized until the return of constitutional order.

*******************

Arrestation par la MINUSTHA d'un leader populaire du Bel-Air: les camarades de Samba Boukman affirment rendre la mission onusienne responsables de son intégrité physique
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port-au-Prince, 22 février 2005 &endash;(AHP)- Des soldats de la MINUSTAH ont procédé ce mardi ... l'arrestation du porte-parole des militants Lavalas du quartier populaire du Bel-air, Samba Boukman.

Selon un militant Lavalas, Samba Mackandal, Samba Boukman a été arrêté ... la rue St-Martin après avoir participé avec ses camarades ... une réunion de planification des activités prévues dans le cadre de la commémoration du premier anniversaire du départ forcé de Jean Bertrand Aristide.

Samba Mackandal a appelé les militants Lavalas ... rester mobilisés dans le cadre des manifestations prévues pour les 24, 27 et 28 février prochain.

Même position de la part des militants Lavalas de Cité Soleil qui rendent la MINUSTHA responsable de l'intégrité physique de samba Boukman.

Jimmy Charles, un jeune arrêté récemment par la MINUSTHA et remis ... la police était retrouvé quelques jours plus tard criblé de balles ... la morgue de l'Hôpital de l'Université d'Etat d'Ha*ti.

Un membre de la cellule de base de Fanmi Lavalas René Monplaisir, a fait savoir qu'ils resteront mobilisés dans le cadre de la lutte visant le retour ... l'ordre constitutionnel.

AHP 22 février 2005 4:10 PM

*****

Contact information:

African Union Headquaters P.O. Box 3243 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: (251) 1 51 77 00 Fax (251) 1 51 78 44 website: www.africa-union.org email for President Alpha Oumar Konare: KonareAO@africa-union.org

CARICOM: Call, e-mail, fax and write CARICOM: 011-592-226-9280, webmaster@caricom.org

Call, e-mail, fax and/or write Huntley Medley, Public Relations Consultant, Office of the Secretary-General, Tel: (592) -226-9280-9 or 227-4671 , Email: hmedley@caricom.org.

cc: OAS Leinaudi@oas.org, HunterJ14@aol.com, gunter.burghardt@cec.eu.int, AntBar@oas.org, Argentina@oas.org, Bahamas@oas.org, Barbados@oas.org, Belize@oas.org, Bolivia@oas.org, Brazil@oas.org, Canada@oas.org, Chile@oas.org, Colombia@oas.org, Costa-Rica@oas.org, Dominica@oas.org, Ecuador@oas.org, ElSalvador@oas.org, Grenada@oas.org, Guatemala@oas.org, Guyana@oas.org, Haiti@oas.org, Honduras@oas.org, Jamaica@oas.org, Mexico@oas.org, Nicaragua@oas.org, Panama@oas.org, Paraguay@oas.org, Peru@oas.org, Republica-Dominicana@oas.org, StKitt&Nevis@oas.org, StLucia@oas.org, StVnG@oas.org, Suriname@oas.org, TnT@oas.org, Uruguay@oas.org, USA@oas.org, Venezuela@oas.org, vze4ksd@verizon.net

cc: African Union: ChaIRMAn of the African Union (AU), President Alpha Oumar Konare: KonareAO@africa-union.

cc: U.N. Fax No. (212) 963-4879 Hon. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General United Nations United Nations Headquarters First Avenue at 46th Street New York, NY 10017 212-963-5012 inquiries@un.org

U.S. Ambassador to Haiti: James B. Foley Fax to: U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince - 011-509-223-9038 or 011-509-223-1641 State Department Haiti Desk, Washington - 202 -647-2901

Call: U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince - 011-509-223-4711 Anthony Beaver/John Mariz, State Department Haiti Desk - 202- 647-5088

Email: noriegarf@state.gov (Roger Noriega Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; BanksD@state.gov (Dana Banks, Human Rights Officer, U.S. Embassy, Port-au-Prince)

UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) PHONE: 011.509.244.9650.9660 FAX: 011.509.244.9366/67 Or, Office of General Secretary (New York) - 212.963.4879

** Kofi Annan's Special UN Envoy to Haiti: Mr. Juan Gabriel Valdes ** UN Military Commander in Haiti: Lt. General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira ** UN Human Rights Office in Haiti: Mahamane Cisse-Guoro

Please Fax the MINUSTAH office Attention to the 3 listed above. Better yet, send 3 separate letters addressing them individually.

SEND COPIES TO AS MANY OF THESE PEOPLE AS YOU CAN including your congressperson, local and national media (See contact for local & National media at: http://www.margueritelaurent.com/contactinformation/local-national-media.html ; U.S. congress at: http://www.margueritelaurent.com/contactinformation/uscongress.html)

******* Forwarded by the Haitian Lawyers' Leadership Network ******

"Men anpil chay pa lou" is Kreyol for - "Many hands make light a heavy load."

See, The Haitian Leadership Networks' 7 "Men Anpil Chay Pa Lou" campaigns to help restore Haiti's independence, the will of the mass electorate and the rule of law. http://www.margueritelaurent.com/law/lawpress.html ******************* Here is what you can do to help us help the people of Haiti: ********************** HLLN - Action Requested from Haiti solidarity groups and activists for justice and democracy

Please circulate our mailings and posts to your mailing list and e-mail contacts. Subscribe or unbscribe by writing to: Erzilidanto@aol.com

Read, adopt and circulate the Haiti Resolution (see below) from the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network: http://www.sfbayview.com/080404/haitiresolution080404.shtml , and/or the Porto Alegre Declarations on Haiti adopted at the World Social Forum in 2005: http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/declaration.html

Circulate the human rights reports, especially the latest Miami Law Center report http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaignone/human_rights_reports/c1humanrightsreports.html

Do Press Work: Join our letter writing campaigns to help free the political prisoners in Haiti, stop the persecution of Haiti's most popular political party and restore Constitutional rule. Write a letter, call the media, fax, - See our Press Work page for sample letters and contact information: http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaignone/presswork/pressreleases_hll.html

Volunteers to maintain and send us updated or new phone numbers and addresses to put on our Contact Information Sheet pages for our Network's pressworks http://www.margueritelaurent.com/law/lawpress.html

Virtual interns and volunteers are needed to help us translate selected materials into French, Kreyol, or Spanish to reach a wider audience; Volunteers with some research and computer skills are also needed to help us update our "list of victims" and "Personal Testimonies" pages under Campaign One. (We have the materials, what we don't have we know where to extrapolate them, but need help to put it together and into the format pages on our website for "List of Victims" and "Personal Testimonies": See: http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaignone/campaignone.html

HLLN Networkers are urged, in addition to the general writing campaigns and e-mail circulations, to also consider volunteering as primary coordinators/contributors to one of our seven campaigns http://www.margueritelaurent.com/campaigns/campaigns.html

One internet savvy volunteer interested in logging and archiving, on our new Ezili Danto blog, (not yet unveiled) the regular Erzilidanto posts we send out so that those who only want to see these at their leisure or who cannot receive daily mailings will have access to these materials and posts, in an archived format.

Fundraise for the work of HLLN, donate to our projects, or, better yet, earn money, save lives and spread meaning and value by becoming an HLLN Marketing Associate trained to train other HLLN Associates and licensed to use our logo and HLLN materials to sponsor a "To Tell The Truth about Haiti Forum and Teach-In." http://www.margueritelaurent.com/DNC_2004/dnc_slideshow/DNC_2004_01.htm

Proceeds from such teach ins will go to pay the Associate and to continue the work of HLLN projects, such as, our partnership with AUMOHD, the young human rights lawyers in Haiti who are defending the defenseless poor whose only crime is that they voted for Lavalas, supported Constitutional rule or are resisting a return of the bloody U.S.-trained Haitian army and US-sponsored dictatorship. For information on AUMOHD, go to: http://www.april6vt.org/