quote:

---

Thousands of people have demonstrated in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, demanding the return of exiled former President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Supporters chanted "Aristide or death!" and "Aristide's blood is our blood!" as they marched to the National Palace on the ex-leader's 53rd birthday.[...]

President Rene Preval had said during this year's election campaign he would consider allowing him to return home.

However, the US has warned this could destabilise the country.

---

Haiti: CHAN Statement on Canada and Haiti's Political Prisoners

quote:

---

The Haitian National Police, whose UN training has been led by Canadian RCMP officials since the summer of 2004, have consistently been carrying out a campaign of arbitrary imprisonment and human rights abuses within some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Haiti’s capital. Such acts of brutality have been documented in reports issued by Amnesty International, the Harvard School of Law, and the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the University of Miami.
Training for such “anti-gang raids” or “weapon sweeps” has commonly resulted in the rounding up of men and women from poor neighbourhoods, in a sort of “preventative detention.” Deadly shootings upon peaceful demonstrations of supporters of the ousted Lavalas government were commonplace prior to the February 7th election, as documented by reports from AP and Reuters.

---

[ 15 July 2006: Message edited by: Left Turn ]