[R-G] Fwd: Where is Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine?

[Anthony Fenton]

Haiti Action Committee Alert http://haitiaction.net
Where is Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine?
Leading Human Rights Activist in Haiti Disappears


Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine is a tireless fighter for the Haitian people:  
a grassroots leader, member of the Lavalas Party, and the head of  
Fondayson Tran Septanm, a Haitian human rights organization that  
advocates for victims of the 1991 and 2004 coups against the  
democratically-elected governments of Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Lovinsky has not been seen since the evening of Sunday, August 12,  
2007 after meeting with a U.S. human rights delegation currently in  
Haiti. He usually keeps his family posted on his whereabouts. His car  
was found on Delmas 10 in Port au Prince. His friends and associates  
in Haiti and around the world are deeply concerned about his safety  
and well-being.

As a young psychologist working in Port au Prince, Lovinsky helped  
establish Fondsayon Kore Timoun Yo (Foundation for the Support of  
Children) for young street children in Port au Prince ; FAM (Foyer  
pour Adolescentes Mères), a center for teenage mothers ; and Map Viv  
("I Live"), a program designed to give psychological and medical aid  
to the victims of the first coup against Aristide in 1991. The  
September 30th Foundation, named for the date of the first coup  
against President Aristide in 1991, emerged out of this work.
Similar to the work of Mothers of the Disappeared in Central and  
South America, September 30th Foundation held weekly vigils demanding  
justice for victims of human rights violations and the release of  
political prisoners.

Forced to leave Haiti after the 2004 coup, Lovinsky returned to the  
country in April 2006. Since that time, he has helped center the  
campaign for the return of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to  
Haiti, an end to the UN occupation, economic and social justice, and  
the freeing of all political prisoners.  His work helped bring 10,000  
people into the streets of Port-au-Prince on July 15th, commemorating  
Aristide’s birthday.  He has been outspoken in denouncing the  
continued presence of coup participants and supporters within the  
current government.

A delegation of activists with the Haiti Action Committee had the  
privilege of meeting with Lovinsky in his home last month.  We later  
saw him lead a spirited protest on July 28th across from UN  
headquarters on Avenue John Brown in Port-au-Prince, marking the 92nd  
anniversary of the 1915 U.S. Marine invasion of Haiti.

We are concerned and outraged over the disappearance of this valiant  
fighter for human rights and dignity. We call on the UN occupation  
authorities in Haiti, the government of President Rene Preval, and  
the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince to account for the whereabouts of  
Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine.