Barbados Prime Minister pressed not to engage with Haiti
by Dawne Bennett
Caribbean Net News Barbados Correspondent
Monday, May 23, 2005
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Prime Minister Owen
Arthur is being pressed to retract immediately the Barbados government’s
policy to engage fully with the Gerard Latortue regime in Haiti.
President of the Clement Payne Movement, David Commissiong says his
organisation is also pushing for Mr. Arthur publicly to insist on the
unconditional release of former Haitian Prime Minister, Yvon Neptune as well
as all other political prisoners.
Mr. Neptune has been held in a prison in
Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince, for almost a year without charges or any
evidence having been presented against him. He has been on hunger strike since
mid-April and, while family members and other visitors say he is weak and
nearing death, interim Prime Minister, Latortue is reported as saying there is
absolutely no risk of death. In an open
letter to the Prime Minister dated May 20th and which was sent after a
‘Solidarity with Haiti Rally’ held on that day, Mr. Commissiong said the
movement is concerned that the Barbados government’s policy of fully engaging
with the Latortue regime has given comfort and confidence to “human rights
abusers who now occupy the corridors of power in Haiti”.
“Indeed, it is extremely likely that Barbados’ support for…Prime Minister
Latortue has contributed to an exacerbation of the plight of the legitimate
Prime Minister, Yvon Neptune,” Mr. Commissiong wrote in the letter.
The correspondence continues: “All over the
world, heads of government and leaders of prestigious international
organizations are publicly raising their voices in denunciation of the
oppression of Mr. Neptune and are urging that he be released. What are you
doing?” Mr. Commissiong says it’s time for
Barbados to take a stand and for Prime Minister Arthur to make every effort to
save the life of Mr. Neptune. “We also call
upon you to publicly insist upon the unconditional release of Mr. Neptune and
all other political prisoners and the end to state-sponsored human rights
abuses in Haiti, before there can be any consideration of full engagement,” he
added.
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