Contact your Congressmember to support the release of Father. Gerard Jean-Juste and enable him to obtain medical care

Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee are contacting other members of the US Congress to sign on to a letter (below) demanding the release of Rev. Father Gerard Jean-Juste so that he can get immediate medical attention in the United States. You can help by contacting your own Member of Congress and ask them to sign on to this letter.

You can use this link to send a letter http://www.house.gov/writerep/ if you don't have better contact information. It is best to write them directly through their own web site and call their Washington DC and district office.

DEADLINE: Thursday, December 15, COB

Dear Colleague:

Please join us in sending the attached letter to President Bush expressing our concerns about the continuing imprisonment and precarious health of Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste in Haiti. The letter urges the President to take action to seek Fr. Jean-Juste's immediate release from prison and ensure that he is able to obtain the medical care he needs.

Fr. Jean-Juste is a widely-respected Catholic priest and a courageous advocate for peace and justice. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and has called for his unconditional release. The injustice of his imprisonment is all the more blatant because of his failing health.

On December 1, Fr. Jean-Juste received a medical exam by Dr. John Carroll, who reported that he has swollen lymph nodes in his neck and armpits and an elevated white blood count. This could indicate any of several serious medical conditions, including a blood cancer or an infectious disease. Many blood cancers have a good prognosis if they are treated early by specialists. It is therefore imperative that Fr. Jean-Juste be able to receive prompt medical attention.

We hope you will join us in asking the President to urge the Interim Government of Haiti to release Fr. Jean-Juste immediately and enable him to obtain appropriate medical care. The President's action at this critical time could save the life of this gentle priest. The letter is on the reverse. If you have any questions or would like to sign on to the letter, please contact Kathleen Sengstock of Congresswoman Waters' staff at (202) 225-2201.

Sincerely,

Maxine Waters

Barbara Lee

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December 16, 2005

President George W. Bush

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We are deeply concerned about the continuing imprisonment and precarious health of Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste in Haiti. We urge you to take action to seek Fr. Jean-Juste's immediate release from prison and ensure that he is able to obtain the medical care he needs.

We respectfully request that you urge the Interim Government of Haiti to release Fr. Jean-Juste immediately and enable him to obtain appropriate medical care. We appreciate your attention to our concerns. Your action at this critical time could save the life of this gentle priest.

Sincerely,

cc: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Special Representative Juan Gabriel Valdés, MINUSTAH

Ambassador Timothy M. Carney, U.S. Embassy in Haiti

Dana Banks, Human Rights Officer, U.S. Embassy in Haiti