[R-G] Brazilian soldier wounded in Haiti slum raid

[afenton at riseup.net]

October 9, 2004

Brazilian soldier wounded in Haiti slum raid

Haiti Information Project (HIP)

Port au Prince, Haiti  (HIP) - Brazilian troops took
the lead in a daytime raid today of the pro-Aristide
slum of Bel Air. One Brazilian soldier was wounded in
the foot by gunfire and residents report at least five
Haitians were killed in the military action. The
Haitian National Police (PNH) reportedly arrested 34
persons following the incursion and took them to an
undisclosed location for questioning.

The slum of Bel Air has served as a rallying point for
recent demonstrations demanding the return of
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and condemning
political persecution of his Lavalas political party.
On September 30th the police opened fire on unarmed
demonstrators provoking an attack against a unit of
the Unite de Securite Presidentielle  (U.S.P), a
special security detail assigned to Interim President
Boniface Alexandre. Witnesses say members of the
special police unit were seen firing on demonstrators
and collecting bodies before masked gunmen returned
fire killing three and wounding a fourth who later
died in the hospital.

The U.S.-backed government claims that the headless
bodies of three policemen were recovered and that
Aristide backers have launched a campaign imitating
Iraqis called "Operation Baghdad." Representatives
of Aristide's Family Lavalas party have denied the
allegations and the U.S.-backed government has not
released the identities of the headless policemen.
Repeated requests by independent journalists and human
rights groups to examine the corpses have been denied
by the government.

Bel Air has been under a virtual state of siege since
September 30th and residents repelled two nighttime
raids by the police Oct. 2nd and 3rd. UN forces using
Armored Personnel Vehicles (APV's) and attack
trained dogs took up positions around the pro-Aristide
slum on Oct. 6th following a statement by Minister of
Justice Bernard Gousse that the U.S.-backed government
would give a "muscular response" to opponents of
the regime. The same day a spokesperson for PNH
announced the action of Oct. 6th had involved 200 UN
troops with 150 Haitian police and 75 persons had been
arrested in Bel Air.  More than 500 hundred people
were detained and questioned on that day but the
Haitian police did not find any weapons. This has led
to charges by organizations associated with the anti-
Aristide coalition Group184 that "Lavalas
elements" within the police gave advance warning to
the community prior to the raid. Sources close to the
police contend a "second purge" within the ranks
of the PNH is imminent.

The U.S.-installed Prime Minister Gerard Latortue
announced yesterday the formation of a commission to
explore the integration of the former military into
the police force. Several representatives of the
disbanded military had given Latortue an ultimatum to
"control the Lavalas bandits and chimere or we will
take matters into our own hands."

Latortue also announced yesterday that he would be
suspending all salaries and expense accounts of the
remaining members of Haiti's legislature. Political
tensions ratcheted up further in Haiti on Oct. 2nd
when three Lavalas representatives were arrested after
participating in a broadcast on local Radio Caraibes
FM.

On Radio Caraibe's popular radio show Ramase, Former
Deputy Roudy Herivaux, Senate Chairman Senator Yvon
Feuille, and Senator Gerald Gilles denounced the
violence and condemned the police for firing on
unarmed demonstrators on September 30th. The police
entered Radio Caraibes and arrested the three on
charges of "inciting violence" related to
September 30th. Lawyer Axene Joseph, another former
Deputy, was also arrested after protesting the other
arrests. The police action was condemned by the
management of Radio Caraibes stating that it "harms
the reputation of the station and is an infringement
of freedom of expression."

Several human Rights groups also condemned the arrests
of Oct. 2nd and Radio Caraibes suspended its broadcast
for two days in protest. Former Senator Gerald Gilles
and Axene Joseph were subsequently released by the
government citing "a lack of evidence" and have
condemned the arrests as a campaign of political
persecution against Lavalas. Minister of Justice
Bernard Gousse continues to hold Herivaux and
Feuille claiming they were the "intellectual
authors" of the violence on September 30th.

Today's armed incursion by Brazilian troops and
Haitian police in Bel Air comes one day after a major
police sweep of Portail Leogane, a major
transportation hub in the capital. According to
witnesses heavily armed police units entered the
district in force yesterday killing three, wounding
four and arresting fifteen individuals.





=====
The Haiti Information Project (HIP) is a non-profit alternative news
service providing coverage and analysis of breaking developments in Haiti.

Contact: haitiinformationproject at yahoo.com