Global Exchange denounces the flagrant violation of international sovereignty laws by the United States government through its involvement in the overthrow of the democratically elected President of Haiti. We have seen this before in Guatemala in 1954, in Chile in 1973, in Haiti in 1991 and now again last month.

President Aristide of Haiti was forcibly removed from office by U.S. military personnel on February 29, 2004 and, according to Aristide himself, speaking in exile from the Central African Republic, he was forced to sign a "resignation" letter under the threat of massive bloodshed against the people of Port-au-Prince.

Global Exchange supports Congresswoman Barbara Lee's proposed TRUTH Act (The Responsibility to Uncover the Truth about Haiti) that calls for an immediate investigation into the role of the Bush administration in the removal of a democratically elected president of a foreign country.

Congresswoman Lee states, "All of the evidence brought forward thus far suggests that the Administration has, in essence, carried out a form of 'regime change,' a different variation than it took in Iraq, but still regime change. The American people and the international community deserve to know the truth, and this bill will offer the opportunity to investigate the long-term origins of the overthrow of the Haitian government and the impact of our failure to protect democracy."

Read Barbara Lee's Full Statement

President Aristide's term was due to end in 2006, and only the people of Haiti can decide on whether to re-elect or replace him. We call for a full disclosure of US involvement in military and financial support of the rebels in the north and the opposition in Port-au-Prince. Eyewitness accounts in Haiti report US weaponry used by the rebels and even US uniforms worn by the rebel leaders.

Who are these rebels? The self-proclaimed non-violent opposition referred to as the group of 184 is made up of mostly business leaders and economic elites. Their "leader" is Andre Apaid, a wealthy owner of sweatshop factories who is in fact a US citizen. The group of 184 is not a political party and has no platform to offer; their only goal was to oust Aristide. The group of 184 claims that they are not aligned with the militarized rebels. The so-called "rag-tag" group of rebels are actually former Haitian military and former FRAPH members (the leaders of the 1991 coup that overthrew Aristide the first time). The leaders of this rebel group are well armed, and are better equipped then the Haitian police who could not stand up to them. The rebels are led by such notorious figures as Guy Phillipe, who is known for his violence against the Haitian people and for his drug trafficking.

Please join us in support of the Haitian people and democracy in Haiti. This is the 33rd coup d'etat in this small island country that just had its 200th anniversary of Independence as the first black republic in the world. They are attempting to maintain their fledgling democracy and that democracy needs our support and not our interference.

Actions:

1.Support Congresswoman Barbara Lee's TRUTH bill by calling your representatives and asking them to support the bill. The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121.

2. Call the State Department and ask the hard questions: Did the US force Aristide to leave against his will as the democratic leader of Haiti? Did the US supply weapons, logistics and training for the return of the FRAPH death squads, former army leaders and Duvalierists? Are not these are impeachable offenses under the US Neutrality Act? The Department of State's public affairs number is 202-647-6575.

3.When speaking with your representatives, call for the immediate resumption of humanitarian assistance and emergency aid to the people of Haiti.

4. Educate yourself beyond the mainstream reporting on Haiti, which often mouths the US official line. Visit our coalition partner Haiti Action Committee and Haiti Reborn to learn the specifics about the 2000 election, observed by Global Exchange and other organizations. Also visit our Haiti section for an extensive reading list for background on Haitian history and US involvement.