Imprisoned Jean-Juste rejects deal

[MichelNau*]

Imprisoned Jean-Juste rejects deal
A popular Roman Catholic priest and former Miami activist, sick with cancer in a Port-au-Prince jail, turned down a Haitian government offer that would have set him free.
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

Lawyers for the Rev. Gérard Jean-Juste, a Catholic priest jailed in Haiti who is reportedly suffering from leukemia, have turned down a government offer that could have allowed the former Miami activist to go free, both sides said Tuesday.

Interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue told The Miami Herald the government offered the deal last week after a judge dropped murder and conspiracy charges against Jean-Juste but upheld a lesser charge of illegal weapons possession.

The deal,[/
b] Latortue added, [b]required Jean-Juste to agree to skip an appeal of the weapons indictment and submit to a fair and speedy trial. If convicted, the government would have commuted Jean-Juste's sentence.

But Jean-Juste and his lawyers refused, and on Friday appealed the indictment.
The appeals process could take months, Latortue said.
''Now things are more complicated,'' Latortue said. ``Now it has to go to the appeals court; we wanted to avoid that.''

Supporters for Jean-Juste say it would have been ''preposterous'' for him to run the risk of trial under Haiti's decrepit judicial system.

''To go to trial would be a huge mistake,'' said Brian Concannon, a human rights lawyer who is leading an Internet campaign pushing for Jean-Juste's release.

``Why would he trust the government to do something difficult when they won't do something simple: The pros
ecutor only needs to write an order that says he's allowed to get out of jail to go to the United States for treatment.''

During a news conference in which Miami supporters announced plans to hold a Saturday vigil in support of Jean-Juste's release, several activists broke down in tears as the latest prison letter from Jean-Juste was read. For the first time, the always seemingly upbeat priest spoke of dying from leukemia.

''Unfortunately I will leave more work for you,'' Jean-Juste wrote. ``However, I believe God always arises new workers for his vineyard. Plus, from above, I'll be so busy meeting God's family members who enter heaven, so do not worry about me.''

Jack Lieberman, a Miami activist, said Jean-Juste's death would be ``at the hands of the Haitian government, and I am sad to say, the Bush administration. . . . They all are aware of the situation.''
But Latortue said the pr
iest and his supporters had passed up a good opportunity to get him medical care.

''They want to make people believe we are trying to do something against him, and we just want to help the man,'' Latortue said.

``We have no interest, no willingness to keep that man in jail. We are actively looking for a solution to have him go free and get medical care

[guysanto*]

We have no interest, no willingness to keep that man in jail.

BS! Why did you allow his jailing IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Why is Annette Auguste STILL in jail without DUE process?

Why is Yvon Neptune STILL in jail without DUE process?

Since when could one, under the guise of democratic cover provided by the misnamed FRIENDS OF HAITI, allow a parish priest and social justice activist to be arrested and thrown in jail BY PUBLIC CLAMOR??? Now that it has been revealed that he is dying of leukemia, after you have disallowed him the medical care he needed all along, you want to wash your hands of the whole stinking matter, a la Ponce Pilate.

Fat chance!

Just release Fr. Jean-Juste, without conditions, and with FORMAL EXCUSES for the unjust and undemocratic behavior of your government towards him, towards the other political prisoners, towards Haiti's slum dwellers (who are not ne
cessarily armed gang members), towards the Haitian people whose constitution your government has raped over and over.

Just release him, period.

Or be ready to suffer the consequences.

[MichelNau*]

Is the Interim Government offering a good deal to Jean Juste or a fishy one and why?

Should Jean Juste accept the deal from them and get medical care or should he follow his legal advisors ?

Would Jean Juste’s dead be ``at the hands of the Haitian government, and the Bush administration, or in the hands of his lawyers, activists, and supporters?

Mwen k'we ke sante Jean Juste pi inportan ke kinbe tet ak you govenman ki pral kraze rak tre biyento.

Si juj yo jwen Jean Juste koupab nan zafe zam an se posib ke yo kondane li a 4 a 5 mwa prizon e kom li deja fe plis ke 6 mwa deja nan prizon ap tan'n santans li, yap oblije lage'l san grate tet.

Si misiye malad tout bon vre, fok li souiv konsey medical dokte li, pran deal la pou'l al fe tretman lot bo dlo. Apre sa, la kontinuye batay la.
Fok activis yo pa jwe ak sante yon moun kom zam chantaj pou yo fe avanse ideoloji yo e komba ke ya
p minnin kont G. W. Bush.


Avek sante yo moun, jwet politik pa la dan'n!!
Michel

[MichelNau*]

Guy wrote:

Just release him, period. Or be ready to suffer the consequences.

Is this a threat to the Interim Government or just a recommendation?

[guysanto*]

Michel, we all have to be ready to suffer the consequences of the deliberate choices we make.

That is simple, intelligent advice.

As far as making it a threat, it's all in your mind, brother.

[MichelNau*]

Guy wrote:

Why is Annette Auguste STILL in jail without DUE process? Why is Yvon Neptune STILL in jail without DUE process?

Guy in politics, it is not jan misik Coupe Kloure a di O souivan.. ki yes ki tela avan antre/soti.

It is how big is the fish.
Jean Juste’s Public Relations are the Vatican, and other religious groups who are pushing really hard for his release.

Jean Juste as a Priest is very lucky to have that kind of support
(Kan Vatican pale tout moun pran not!)
that So Ann and Yvon Neptune don’t have.

[b]Jean Juste should follow his doctor’s advice and take the deal. Otherwise he may die in prison and became a martyr which is exactly what those hardcore activists want in order to embarrass the Bush Administration. They want him to die for the cause thing that they would not do themselves.[/b:30c7
6b7aaf]

Those cowards!!

Annette Auguste and Yvon Neptune, pov diyab, their Public Relations are the hardcore activists and leftist groups that you and I know, and are pissing off the Bush Administration and making thing harder for their release.

[Frantz*]

Michel wrote: "Jean Juste should follow his doctor’s advice and take the deal"

What is the deal? Please advise.
padel

[MichelNau*]

Padel the deal is that the murder charge against Jean Juste has been dropped for a lesser charge of illegal possession of guns.
The worse thing that could happen is to go to trial and to be found guilty, nevertheless, the sentence could not be more than 4 to 5 months in prison.

Since he already spent more than 5 months, he could be released immediately. This is a win win situation for Jean Juste and his PR..
But by not taking the deal, his time in prison would be extended, his health could be deteriorated causing more medical bills even dead.
If that happens, the interim Government and the International Community could be embarrassed.

Some few questions need to be clarified.

Why he does not want to take the deal?
Does he want to embarrass the Boniface/Latortue/Bush Administration?
Is he thinking that in less than a month, or two, a new government could be in power, and he and the others could be released soo
n and parading and taking victory laps in the streets of Port-au-Prince for everyone to see and to give credit to the new government and not to Boniface/LaTortue.
Does he plan to take legal action against the Interim Government for illegal detention?
Does he plan to take a civil legal action against Boniface, LaTortue?
Is he going to write his memoir of time in prison?

Who knows!! Only Jean Juste and his legal team could answer those questions.
Let's wait and see!!

[Apharion]

Perhaps he does not "take the deal" because he is innocent. Why admit guilt if one is innocent?

If the Vatican is his agent, then why does he write expressing anguish about the possible decision of the Bishops to suspend his ordination because he was considered a possible candidate for President?

Outside of a crack about "Baby Bush," I haven't read anything that makes him out to be anything but a Catholic Priest working for social justice. His concerns seem to be more for the people he serves. There is certainly provocation enough to make a stone weep. Bush and company are embarrassing themselves amply on their own with no help needed from as tiny a fish as Fr Jean-Juste.

[guysanto*]

Why admit guilt if one is innocent?

After one drinks from the Beltway punch for several years in a row, you miss little details like that. The "smart" thing for Jean-Juste to do, according to Michel's logic, is to accept a lesser charge, no matter the merit of the charges. That's the imperial logic, if you have not learned to decipher it before. It is based on different truth values than those your parents or school teachers had taught you. Michel may be perfectly right, as he has submitted to the neocons' school of thought, before we. Perhaps he is smarter than the rest of us, and we will all end up singing the praises of the Master some day.

[MichelNau*]

Apharion wrote:

Perhaps he does not "take the deal" because he is innocent. Why admit guilt if one is innocent?

Guy wrote:

The "smart" thing for Jean-Juste to do, according to Michel's logic, is to accept a lesser charge, no matter the merit of the charges.

Apharion, Guy, I did not say that Jean Juste should plead guilty of a lesser charge.
Jean Juste is innocent until proving guilty in a court of law.
Jean Juste needs to go to court!!
This is not a freebie!
Illegal weapons were found in his property.
Those weapons don’t belong to him that may be the true, however according to court papers, they were giving to his body guards during the Aristide regime.
Forensic studies and ballistic researches shown that there is a great possibility that those weapons were involved in criminal activit
ies.
We want Jean Juste to be release through court of law.

But it is his prerogative if he decides to play hard ball with his life and not to take this offer.

If he is waiting for this government to leave within 2 or 3 months, anything could happen during this period of transition.

History shows that people die in jail during time of turmoil and the outgoing government may not be ready to take the blame.

Michel

[Apharion]

In my experience, very few governments show much enthusiasm for taking the blame for their mistakes. Why should this one be any different?

[Apharion]

I'm sorry, I have not figured out how to quote yet, so you will have to bear with me. You mentioned that illegal weapons were found on his property.

Do you have the reference for where you found this information? There has been a lot of rumor and inuendo flying about and it would be nice if we could know "who, what, where, when, and how" for some of these accusations. For example, as I recall, the circumstances under which he was arrested involved accusations from the crowd that he was the murderer of the man the funeral was being held for. Did that just all blow away or was there any/no hard evidence for those accusations? Is there any/no hard evidence for these accusations?

Should he trust his neck to a court system that has such a tenuous grasp on the difference between proven fact and convenient accusation? I wouldn't.

I've been teaching my students about the U.S Bill of Rights and without naming names or giving sp
ecifics, I describe the case of Father Jean-Juste's long imprisonment to help them understand what it means to have a right to a speedy trial. The overwhelming response of the schoolchildren is "but that's not fair!"

By the way, has the date for the trial been set?

[MichelNau*]

Apharion wrote:

You mentioned that illegal weapons were found on his property. Do you have the reference for where you found this information? it would be nice if we could know "who, what, where, when, and how" for some of these accusations. Was there any/no hard evidence for those accusations? Is there any/no hard evidence for these accusations?

Apharion, I hope that you are not playing part of the defense team and cross-examining me by putting me on the witness stand.
I just reported what was posted Thursday January 26, 2006 per Radio Kiskeya.
“According to court documents, the accuser, Jean Juste himself, confessed that he has in his custody 3 revolvers 9mm glock and 2 rifles, provided by the National Palace. His body guards use them on occasions.

Jean Juste was hired as a “Spiritual Counselor” at the National Palace, and had 5 security guards at his disposal.

When asked about their identity, he refused to answer the question, he took the 5th.
However, he informed the instructional judge the where about in his house and the location of those weapons.
According to the law, the police received a search warrant and carried on with the accuser’s house search which revealed unfruitful.
The weapons were no where to be found.
When asking who have the weapons now, he answered that he has no clue.
To conclude, and according to court document, the weapons that Jean Juste acknowledged that he received from the Haitian government at that time were never returned back to their lawful owner.

Even tough Jean Juste’s legal team and activist friends recognized the legal issue of this situation; however, they want him to be released under humanitarian ground.

The big questions are:
Where are the weapons?
Who are using them now?
Are they been involved in criminal activities?
If forensic and ballistic researches reveal that those missi
ng weapons were involved in kidnapping and assassination of innocent victims, what would be Jean Juste case vis a vis to the victims family?
Why Jean Juste refused to reveal his security guards identity?

The investigation continues…and stay tune..

Apharion wrote:

I've been teaching my students about the U.S Bill of Rights and without naming names or giving specifics, I describe the case of Father Jean-Juste's long imprisonment to help them understand what it means to have a right to a speedy trial. The overwhelming response of the schoolchildren is "but that's not fair!"

Apharion, your schoolchildren will learn that life is not fair!
Some of us have too much, others don’t have enough!

Michel

[Apharion]

Thank you for the citation. I am at a disadvantage in that I am only able to read what shows up on the web in English. I can squint out the French but have not much faith in the accuracy of my readings and if I read the Kreyol out loud, I can sometimes pick up some of the French cognates.

[Makendal]

Is there any hint of liberation theology on the part of Father Jean Juste?

[Apharion]

I have tried to read the Ratzinger statement on liberation theology. He (who is of course now the Pope) said that there is much about liberation theology that is good, although the notion of coopting the Gospel into merely a political solution for the here and now was in error.

One is not automatically a dangerous radical communist simply because one preaches justice for the poor, as some of the right wing factions would like to pretend.

[guysanto*]

Makendal, perhaps. I don't know, but that seems like a loaded question.

Why do you ask?

How do you see or interpret liberation theology?

How do you see or interpret Father Jean-Juste's works or teachings?

The answers to those questions would probably form the basis for a healthy discussion.

Later,
Guy

[MichelNau*]

The Catholic religion has several congregations, and they have to comply with the by-laws of the Vatican.
When I was an alter boy at St Jean Bosco de Petion-Ville, the service was done mostly in Latin.
The sermon was mostly base on a passage of the Holy Book.
The parishioners were facing the back of the priest and could not clearly see what the priest was doing.
Their eyes were closed and their head bowed most of the time of the ceremony.
Only the priest was allowed to perform communion, and the only one to drink wine.
The “losti” was round and the same size, except the priest’s “losti” was bigger.

Now things have changed! Since we are talking about liberation, I will like if I may make the rest of my comment in a “liberated way” in kreyol.
Kounyen la, bagay yo chanje.
La mes pa fet an latin tout tan anko min nan lang pep la (pou ka Ayiti, an kreyol).
Se sak fe gen an pil pe local nan peyi a. Pa gen anpil pe j
esuit e etranje memm jan avan.
Yo selman la pou anseniye e dirije e yo memm tou fe anpil efo pou pale lang pep la.
Si gen etranje ki fe plis jefo pou pale yon lang yon pep, se pe misiyone e levanjil yo .
Yon lot liberasiyon anko, losti a chanje visaj, li kap min pot bout moso pin ou kasav.
Se pa pe a selman ki bwe di vin, min fidel yo tou (si yo vle). Lot fidel fem kou gason kap patisipe nan sevis la tou e bay la cominiyon.
Pep yo mete bel kanson sou yo e pa mete soutann memm jan anvan.Fidel yo vinn legliz jan yo vle.
Pe a le lap fe sevis, li bay fas li a fidel yo. Li pa bay do anko, ni kache poul fe sevis la. Li fe sevis la nan lang pep la.
Semon e preche pe yo pa telman relijies memm jan avan, yo plis politik, ekonomik, e sosiyal.
Pe a pale plis de mize, soufrans pep la paske se sa ke fidel yo konfese bay pe a, yo elatriye mise yo e soufrans yo..
Se sak fe gen anpil pe ki pran prizon e ki mouri paske yo foure bouch yo anpil nan vi fidel yo e soufrans ke yap sibi.
Latin amer
ika komanse an premiye avek liberasiyon teoloji sa. Gen anpil pe ki mouri nan legliz la pandan ke yap fe sevi la. Kouniyen la, mes yo pa fet an silans anko. Gen anpil misik e kout tambou ki anime sevis la.
Le moun ap pase bo yon legliz catolik ou protestant, misik la teman fo, ke w gen inpresiyon ke se yon kermese kap fet la. Fidel yo vire rin yo e danse normalman.

Makendal wrote:

Is there any hint of liberation theology on the part of Father Jean Juste?

Definitely!! There is no doubt about it! Jean Juste is not only practice liberation theology, he is unleashed! He is an activist militant.
Is it good for the people? It depends who you talk to.
Guy wrote:

How do you see or interpret liberation theology?

When liberation theologists sermonize, do they preach political, social, and economic propaganda or do they provide religious food for the soul!
Sorry to answer your question by asking another question.
I
am a moderate, and I don’t like extremism regardless if it’s from the right or from the left.

Regardless if it’s, father Hilaire, Sico, Ligonde, Jean Juste, or Aristide, people those days, don’t feel at ease to confess freely to someone behind a closet that may have an opposite ideology or may carry a concealed weapon.

Atansiyon pa kapon!! Being caution means no fear.

M’kanpe la.