"Freedom
is coming - one way or another. . . suffering is here,
but freedom is coming! Though physical freedom is
limited, the support and prayers of so many people are
lifting me up. Regardless of who tries to enslave my
body, my soul will taste freedom forever - and not just
for me, but for all who work for justice and peace in
Jesus." -- Father
Gerard Jean-Juste (November 7, 2004)
Urgent Appeal and Report of
2nd Pax Christi Delegation
We urge you to continue to act to free Father Jean-Juste
and all political prisoners in Haiti. Within twenty-four
hours of a visit to Father Jean-Juste in prison by the
Pax Christi delegation of Bishop Tom Gumbleton, Johanna
Berrigan and Linda Panetta, Jean-Juste was abruptly taken
from the National Penitentiary to Prison de Carrefour on
the outskirts of Port au Prince. Fr. Jean-Juste says he
is much more isolated from the people of his parish of
St. Claire. It would take all day for people from his
parish to visit him.
Father Jean-Juste has no idea why he was transferred, nor
if he will be transferred again soon. He advises people
to continue to put pressure on the Haitian authorities
and the right-wing elements in the U.S. government
including the ambassador, James Foley, who Father
Jean-Juste describes as "the proconsul of Haiti and
the real force behind the puppet government installed by
the U.S., France and Canada".
Demand
the Release of Father Gerard Jean-Juste and All Political
Prisoners in Haiti
US State Department
Deputy Director: Andrew Erickson
Foreign Service Desk Officers: Anthony Beaver & John
Mariz
202.647.5088
US Embassy in Haiti
Ambassador: James Foley
email: fulenaco@state.gov
Deuxième Secrétaire: Dana L. Banks
011.509.222.0200
The following is a report of the 2nd
Pax Christi delegation to Haiti November 2 - 4, 2004. The
purpose of the delegation was twofold: to follow up on
the illegal, unjust arrest and imprisonment of Fr. Gerard
Jean-Juste, Pastor of St. Claire parish, and to follow up
on the reports of human rights violations in Haiti since
the U. S. backed coup, which forcibly removed the
democratically-elected President, President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide.
Delegation members: Johanna Berrigan, Catholic Worker,
Philadelphia, PA; Bishop Tom Gumbleton, Auxiliary Bishop,
Detroit, MI; Linda Panetta, Photojournalist/Human Rights
Advocate, Philadelphia, PA
For more information: Johanna Berrigan:
jberrigancw@yahoo.com 215.426.0364.
Bishop Tom Gumbleton: tjgdet@juno.com 313.897.6818.
Linda Panetta: docphotos@aol.com 215.473.2162
For Photos: www.OpticalRealities.org / docphotos@aol.com
The delegation met with two of the three children who
were wounded during the arrest of Fr. Jean-Juste on
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004. On that date, hooded,
heavily-armed men surrounded St. Claire Church during the
serving of the meal to hundreds of children. Fr.
Jean-Juste, Pastor of the parish, was arrested without
warrant or provocation. During the arrest, the children
who began to pray the 'Our Father' were told to shut up.
They then began to sing spiritual songs to the Holy
Spirit. Again, they were told to shut up, and ordered at
gunpoint to lie down on the floor as their pastor and -
provider of their only hot meals in the course of the
week - was beaten and dragged from the premises.
In the midst of the chaos, the hooded men began to fire
gunshots at the crowd that had gathered in support of Fr.
Jean-Juste. Fr. Jean Juste said, "They could have
fired their guns into the air to disperse the crowds, but
instead they aimed into the crowd and three children were
wounded." One young girl, 14 years old, was shot in
the back of the right thigh. She now walks with an
obvious limp and she cannot sit comfortably. She has not
been able to return to school or resume normal
activities, and she has sporadic sharp pains in her leg
that are debilitating. The bullet was removed from her
leg, but she is in need of physical therapy and the
family, who is very poor, does not have the resources to
provide for her therapy.
Another youth, 14 years old, was shot in the head. He has
an obvious scar in the left temporal area about two
inches long where the bullet entered superficially and,
mercifully, exited. He continues to have periodic
headaches. He said, "When you take a bullet in the
head and survive, that means God has given you a second
chance, God has blessed me." His mother shared that
when she learned of her son's injury, "It was as if
I was also shot in the head. I had to take care of him,
and I myself was sick because of his injury."
At the end of each visit the children took time to write
letters for us to take to their beloved Pastor. We were
warmly welcomed by both families.
The delegation was able to visit with Fr. Gerard
Jean-Juste for an hour at the National Penitentiary. Upon
approaching us after warm greetings he said, "Can
you believe this? What's next, martyrdom?" We were
able to assure him that that is why we had come to visit,
that we want to prevent his martyrdom and that we would
continue to work on his behalf. He simply stated that
martyrdom can be God's way. He proceeded quickly,
quietly, intensely to share of his concerns about the
other prisoners in the jail. He said, "This prison
represents inhumanity at its peak, the prison authorities
are savage to the prisoners." For example, he spoke
about a musician named Rosny who has been severely beaten
because of new songs he had written about his arrest and
the persecutions that have ensued.
He reported that Senator Yvon Feuille, who was arrested
on Oct. 2nd for expressing his views on the radio about a
peaceful demonstration, had been kicked in the head and
roughed up. He also was sharing a cell with Rep. Rudy
Herivaux, another victim of these arbitrary arrests. Fr.
Jean-Juste told of how they had put a man in his cell who
was terminally ill with tuberculosis. The man, Frantz
Jeantilus, died in the cell and the authorities did not
remove the body for over 12 hours. He shared his concerns
about another person in prison who is gravely ill. He was
trying to see that this sick man would be released.
Jean-Juste was in a cell that he shares with nine other
prisoners. He estimates that of the approximately 1,200
inmates, one half of them have been arrested arbitrarily.
He believes that they have been arrested because they are
Lavalas supporters. In general, he spoke about the
"very defensive attitude" of the guards. And
although beatings are often routine, they have thus far
only used intimidation tactics against him, including
banging nightsticks in a threatening way during a visit
with Archbishop Miot and some other priests.
Jean-Juste persists in making the statement that the
current government is a false government that the people
don't want. He has been an outspoken critic of the U.S.-
backed coup and insists that the vote of the people
should be respected. "The current government was not
elected . . . and imagine, the UN is supporting this
government!"
Fr. Jean-Juste was being held on the charge of
"threat to public order" given to him after his
arrest. This is a third class crime punishable by a fine
of up to 15 gouds, approximately 40 cents. That charge
has since been changed and upgraded to a formal charge of
"plotting against the security of the state".
He now has a prosecutor; the prosecution has three months
to present evidence against Fr. Jean-Juste.
In the meantime, we are deeply concerned for his safety.
There is no reason to believe that the legal process will
proceed as it should. There are several known political
prisoners in jail: Prime Minister Yvon Neptune; Former
Mayor of Port au Prince, Harold Severe; Minister of the
Interior, Joeclerme Privert; and well known folk singer,
Annette Auguste. All of these people have been in jail
five months or more. They have not been given formal
charges and they have not seen a judge. We believe that
it is imperative to continue to speak out for justice on
behalf of Fr. Jean-Juste and all political prisoners in
Haiti.
Although he suffered injuries during his arrest and
continues to have pain in his spine, Fr. Jean-Juste is
strong in body, mind and most especially, spirit. He
said, "This has been the top experience of my life.
I'm not complaining. This is a grace that God has
bestowed on me to know this other side of life; the
inhumanity is clear. Something must be done to bring this
reality of this inhumanity to the rest of the Haitian
people. Here, I also have some ministry." He spoke
of how he is teaching the other people in the prison
songs and sharing with them the liturgy of the word. He
asked if we remembered how he had told us on a previous
delegation that he was planning to take his first
vacation in five years, then he laughed and said,
"Look, I'm having my vacation in jail. God must be
planning something." We ended our visit with Fr.
Jean-Juste in a circle of prayer. He gave thanks to God
for the life and example of St. Paul his mentor. He then
turned to ask Bishop Gumbleton for a final blessing.
It was such a blessing and privilege to be with him. He
left us with his spirit uplifted and encouraged by the
messages of support we were able to share with him. We
left him feeling deeply moved by his faith, courage and
strength. His witness to the gospel life of service is an
inspiration. He continues to praise and thank God in all
things - even from his prison cell.
We then went to St. Claire parish to be with the children
during their Wednesday meal. This was the first Wednesday
meal that they were able to provide for the children
since Fr. Jean-Juste's arrest. This meal, part of the
"Feed My Lambs" feeding program funded by The
What If? Foundation started by Margaret Trost, is the
only hot meal that hundreds of children have for the
week. Father Jean-Juste has great concerns about how this
program and others will continue in his absence.
It would have brought much joy to Fr. Jean-Juste's heart
to see that, once again, the meal is being provided for
the children. The laughter and joy of the children is
contagious, especially in light of the desperate poverty
in which they live. The women who prepare the meal
insisted that we eat lunch with the children. One woman
shared, "Everyone who comes here eats our meal, even
the police ate here before they arrested Fr.
Jean-Juste." The police had apparently come to the
meal earlier in the day, they ate the meal, but all the
while they were plotting how they would return and arrest
him.
As we were preparing to leave, a young man in his late
teens approached us and said very passionately, "Fr.
Jean-Juste is not violent and he does not have weapons
here. He takes care of us, he gives us food. He is our
father. I am his son." And then pointing to the rest
of the crowd that had gathered, he said, "She is his
daughter, he is his son, and we are all his children. If
we need anything he helps us. We need him to come
back."
Later that same afternoon, we returned to St. Claire
Church. We had discussed with Fr. Jean-Juste during our
visit with him if Bishop Gumbleton might be able to say
mass in honor of him with the people of his parish.
Jean-Juste was delighted. Even though we were told by
some of the organizers there may not be too many people,
word spread quickly about the mass for Fr. Jean-Juste
and, with only a few hours notice, the church was packed.
It was a powerful experience to witness the enthusiasm,
support and loyalty the people have for their pastor.
Prior to the Liturgy, hundreds of people came to the
altar to sign a petition that they hope will be presented
to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church calling on them
to "condemn the illegal arrest by the government of
our beloved Pastor Fr. Jean-Juste". The act of
signing the petition was more than symbolic. Those people
who came forward did so at significant risk to themselves
and possibly to their families. Their determination to
speak out against this injustice and work for the release
of their pastor was truly inspiring. The opening
comments, homily and prayers by Bishop Gumbleton during
the mass were received with thunderous applause. Our
presence and support of the community was met with
overwhelming gratitude. It was an empowering experience
for all involved. Bishop Gumbleton said, "I found
this community to be truly faith filled even though they
are experiencing great oppression and deep suffering; it
was an honor for me to be with them."
We met with Fr. John Hansen of the Commission Episcopale
Nationale Justice et Paix
in Haiti. Fr. Hansen shared with us the document that the
Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot issued pressing the interim
authorities to release Fr. Jean-Juste. In the statement
Archbishop Miot declared that the arrest of Fr.
Jean-Juste was carried out in an illegal and arbitrary
manner. Archbishop Miot has requested a meeting with the
Minister of Justice, Bernard Gousse, and the head of the
police, in order to hear from them what sources they are
using for their information. As of this writing, no
meeting has been granted.
We met with Anne Sosin, human rights monitor of the
Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. She stated
that the arrest of a Catholic priest "is the
ultimate act of arrogance on their part". She
informed us that on Nov. 1st police killed two people in
Bel Air. She confirmed that in Fort National, Haiti,
there was an unprovoked attack on residents of the area.
Thirteen people were dragged out of their houses and shot
by the police. Residents of the area are known Aristide
supporters. One of the residents stated, "They want
to kill us because we support Aristide, and we will
support him for the rest of our lives." Anne also
confirmed that the grassroots poor are still behind
President Aristide. She spoke specifically about Cite
Solie where, based on her information, gang wars are
being financed by the economic elite. All of the crimes
are being perpetrated against civilians. People are
trying to leave by boat. A new era of boat people may be
emerging. The hospital is closed, the school is closed.
The people of the area are trying to protect their
neighborhood and keep the former military out. Everything
is worse in Cite Solie. Anne predicts that the violence
will only get worse now that President Bush has been
elected because the rebels will do whatever they want,
knowing that nothing will happen to them, and Lavalas
members are growing more desperate.
Anne stressed the need for the UN to do their job and
provide economic and physical security. She pointed out
the fact that there are currently 3000 UN troops, and
there are supposed to be 8000.
She also confirmed the report that Paul Lou Lou of the
Confederation of Haitian Workers has gone into hiding
because of two attempts on his life.
The delegation also met with James Foley, U.S. Ambassador
to Haiti. This meeting was, as predicted, very
disturbing. Most outrageous was the statement that he
made in which he denied that the U.S. had any involvement
in the coup d'etat of Feb. 29th when President Aristide
was forcibly removed from power. We were, however, able
to challenge him on the fact that the manner of the
arrest of Jean-Juste was unconstitutional, illegal, and
unnecessarily violent. Three children were wounded and
the U.S. has done nothing to condemn the actions of the
police or to secure his release. He stated that they had
not issued a statement in support of Fr. Jean-Juste
because they did not know if he was innocent or guilty.
Mr. Foley reported that the current government believes
that they have a case. Furthermore, we pressed him to
denounce the shooting of the children, and the violent
and illegal manner in which the arrest was made. He did
then proceed to say that there is a possibility that the
case will be dismissed by the Judge because of all of the
illegalities surrounding the arrest. There is no comfort
in these words, given that there is reason to be
concerned for Fr. Jean-Juste's life, and the legal system
in Haiti is not functioning justly.
We reported what Jean-Juste had said to us concerning the
actual arrest. As Fr. Jean-Juste was being thrown into
the car, an order was issued from one of the armed men to
break his legs. Fortunately, this did not occur. He does
have scars on his left wrist from wounds which occurred
during the arrest and where the handcuffs were place too
tightly. He has scars on his legs from being dragged, and
continues to have back pain as a result of the assault.
At this point in the conversation, Mr. Foley looked to
his aide, Ms. Dana Banks, and said, "Perhaps we
should pay another visit to Fr. Jean-Juste."
We cannot yet confirm if that visit ever happened, but we
do know that within twenty-four hours of our visit, Fr.
Jean-Juste was transferred to another prison, Prison de
Carrefour outside of Port au Prince. Bob
DellaValle-Rauth, Pax Christi Haiti Task Force, has said,
"I have a real apprehension about Father Jean-Juste
being transferred to Carrefour. It is a suburb of
Port-au-Prince on the road to Leogane and Jeremie and has
a history of being a hotbed of political activity. There
are many young radicals there, politically active, and
good people who often wind up in jail, shot at and beaten
by the police, and disappeared. Brutality by the police
in the area has been well-documented over the years. I
see no justification for putting Father Jean-Juste in
such an area - it bodes ill for him."
Bill Quigley, Social Justice Lawyer from New Orleans, is
in Haiti to investigate the transfer and condition of Fr.
Jean-Juste. The following is his report as of November 7.
I Visited Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste this afternoon in his new
prison. Friday he was abruptly taken from the
penitentiary to Prison de Carrefour, on the outskirts of
Port au Prince. Took about an hour and a half to get
there from the airport.
Fr. Jean-Juste is in good spirits and is sharing a cell
with Harold Severe, former Mayor of Port au Prince.
Jean-Juste says the jailers are more human - though he is
much more isolated from the people of his parish of St.
Claire. It would take all day for people from his parish
to go there in a tap tap. He is very thankful that the
feeding of the children has resumed and wants everyone
involved to keep doing exactly the same as they are doing
with the contacts and the parish. That covers all the
needs of the people he cares for. He thanks especially
Margaret Trost and advises her to keep doing what she is
doing and for others to support the parish through her.
The prison is a concrete block structure, painted bright
blue on the lower half and white on the upper, with a tin
roof. Though there are many mosquitoes and rats, and
toiletries are also a challenge, he likes the jailers
much better. When I was there, several sisters from St.
Charles Parish had just come to bring him some food and
toilet paper. He still has back pain and would like
someone to see if they can get him another set of
prescription reading glasses, as his were lost in the
abrupt transfer.
He has no idea why he was transferred, nor if he'll be
transferred again soon. He advises people to continue to
put pressure on the Haitian authorities and the
right-wing element in the U.S. government, including the
ambassador, James Foley, who Fr. Jean-Juste describes as
"the proconsul of Haiti and the real force behind
the puppet government installed by the U.S., France and
Canada.
To his friends and supporters he says, "Freedom is
coming - one way or another. I, as a Christian and a
priest, know victory is coming for me through Jesus.
Suffering is here, but freedom is coming. Though physical
freedom is limited, the support and prayers of so many
people are lifting me up. On the spiritual level, I am
experiencing the fullness of freedom. Regardless of who
tries to enslave my body, my soul will taste freedom
forever - and not just for me, but for all who work for
justice and peace in Jesus.
"I am an experienced activist. I am a follower of
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi. I am against all
kinds of violence - violence from the oppressors and
violence from the oppressed. The oppressors are a group
of 184 who are trying, by any means, to grab all the
powers and who are behind the killing and arbitrary
arrests of the Lavalas people on September 30.
"We must stop the arbitrary arrests and killings. It
is becoming so abusive. The hooded men in black uniforms
seem to be behind everything from my arrest, to other
arbitrary arrests of many others, to the massacres.
"I hesitate to ask people to do more because
everyone is working so hard to survive now. You know what
to do: peaceful demonstrations, advocacy, keep the
pressure on - I trust your judgment on how best to do
this. God will listen to our prayers, but remember -
freedom is coming!!"
Recently, Johanna Berrigan had a conversation with Paul
Farmer, anthropologist and doctor who has worked in Haiti
for 20 years, who said that the Institute for Justice and
Democracy in Haiti is doing the most important work in
Haiti on behalf of the victims of this violent oppression
and injustice. We have met and worked with Ann Sosin and
other members of this organization. Bill Quigley, Social
Justice Lawyer, and member of the first Pax Christi
delegation is now working with them on behalf of Fr.
Jean-Juste. It is imperative that we raise funds to
support their work.
Fr. Jean-Juste has requested that everyone continue to
support the work of The What If? Foundation founded by
Margaret Trost. The What If? Foundation supports the Feed
My Lambs feeding program which provides hot meals for the
children of St. Claire church and surrounding community.
We appeal to you to send donations to:
The What If? Foundation
1563 Solano Ave.
# 192
Berkeley California, 94707
www.whatiffoundation.org
1-888-228-8020
Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
Make check payable to: St. Leo Church
Memo: Institute for Justice and Democracy
Send check c/o Bishop Tom Gumbleton
4860 15th Street
Detroit, Michigan 48208
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