Statement by Rep. Maxine Waters on the Contemptible Alliance between Haitian Thugs and the Interim Government of Haiti

Last Saturday, March 20, 2004, the new interim government of Haiti showed its true colors by holding a rally in the historic city of Gonaives to commend the armed thugs who were responsible for the overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The rally featured a government delegation consisting of interim Haitian Prime Minister Gerard Latortue; his Interior Minister, Herard Abraham; his Justice Minister, Bernard Gousse; and his Chief of Police, Leon Charles. The entire delegation was brought to Gonaives in two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters and one Chinook helicopter, all piloted by U.S. personnel.

The government delegation was joined by several leaders of the thugs, including Guy Philippe, Jean-Pierre Baptiste, Winter Etienne and Butteur Metayer. Interim Prime Minister Latortue called these thugs "freedom fighters" and asked for a minute of silence for Butteur's brother, Amiot Metayer. However, their personal histories tell a very different story.

Guy Philippe is a former police chief who led several coup attempts against President Aristide between 2000 and 2003. He is also suspected by U.S. and Haitian authorities of drug trafficking.

Jean-Pierre Baptiste, who is also known as Jean Tatoune, was a local leader of FRAPH (the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti), the death squad that carried out numerous human rights violations during the three years following the 1991 coup d'etat. Tatoune was convicted of involvement in the 1994 massacre of residents in the Raboteau neighborhood of Gonaives.

Louis-Jodel Chamblain, one of the organizers of last month's violence, was the second-in-command of FRAPH and was convicted in abstentia for his role in the 1994 Raboteau massacre and the 1993 assassination of Antoine Izmery.

Winter Etienne is a member of the "Cannibal Army" street gang and the self-declared mayor of Gonaives.

Amiot Metayer, the founder of the Cannibal Army, was arrested in 2002 on charges that he set fire to homes of opposition leaders. Later that year, Cannibal Army members drove a bulldozer into the Gonaives jail, freeing Amiot and 150 other prisoners.

Butteur Metayer joined the Cannibal Army in 2000 and became its leader in 2003, following his brother's murder.

Throughout the month of February, these thugs took over Gonaives and other cities, freeing criminals from prison and setting fire to police stations.

Saturday's rally was an attempt by the illegitimate interim government of Haiti to legitimize both the political violence and the thugs who carried it out. The rally symbolized the return of the old ways of Haitian politics-rule by thugs, government change by coup d'etat, and support for criminal activities and human rights abuses.

The participation of U.S. personnel in Saturday's contemptible rally is especially disturbing, as it directly contradicts assurances from the State Department that the instigators of the violence would not be allowed to play a role in Haiti's future. Our government must match its deeds with its words by assisting in the arrest and incarceration of these criminals, some of whom were already convicted in abstentia.

The U.S. claims to be opposed to violence, and Condeleeza Rice has been pressuring Jamaican and CARICOM leaders not to provide any assistance or refuge to President Aristide, claiming his presence may precipitate violence. Yet our government is condoning violence through its association with thugs and criminals, who have killed thousands of Haitians, who openly threatened to kill President Aristide and who are now killing members of the Lavalas Party. Every day, bodies of Lavalas Party members are being found in Haiti. Some bodies have been found riddled with bullets and with their hands bound by wire, and other bodies have appeared after being dumped into the sea.

The international forces in Haiti must begin immediately to disarm the gangs of thugs and detain Philippe, Tatoune, Etienne, Metayer, Chamblain, and their associates. If these thugs are not disarmed, the people of Haiti will never be able to live in peace.