Excellency,

As Acting President of Rights & Democracy, in response to requests from several Haitian human rights organizations, I am writing to express my serious concern regarding the illegal detention of nine people arrested on May 27, 2002, in Guacimal, St Raphael (Nord). These arrests were made in the context of a conflict between the unions affiliated to the 1 May Batay Ouvriye Inter Union Committee and the management of Produits Agricole Guacimal. According to reports we have received, the detainees are: Yvon Louis Jeune, Alix Roland, Destiné Décius, Tusson Alexandre, Veruséus Sénat, Dorvil Jérémie, Urbain Garçon, Mme. Danbreville Édouard and Mme. Lucienne Jean.

We deeply regret the fact that these people, most of whom are trade unionists, have been detained without charges, for over fifty days. In addition, Haitian human rights organizations investigating the case noted serious procedural irregularities in the arrests and detentions of the prisoners. Firstly, the Haitian National Police reportedly ignored the orders of the judicial authorities of Grande Rivière du Nord, and transferred the detainees to Port-au-Prince before any judicial formalities had been completed. It is outrageous that the detainees are currently in the national penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, with no charges brought against them, without any preliminary investigation and with no judicial order for their detention.

We very much regret the violent events that took place at Guacimal on May 27, and we urge the government to carry out a serious inquiry and bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of Francilien Exilien and Ipharès Guerrier, the two victims. However, we emphasize that such an enquiry must be carried out by the judicial authorities of Grande Rivière du Nord, who are responsible for such investigations in this jurisdiction.

According to information we have received from human rights organizations and other trade union and non governmental organizations, at the root of the Guacimal conflict are legitimate workers' demands for better working conditions. One of the key demands is an end to the system of "métayage", a kind of tithing, by which workers are obliged to pay to supervisors half of the produce they produce during the mid season; the workers are allowed to use the land during this period. We are therefore concerned at statements by the Secretary of State for Communications, Monsieur Mario Dupuy, that the conflict is the result of opposition to the creation of free trade zones in the region, and that the arrested trade unionists are "armed terrorists." Such statements in no way justify the suspension of the constitutional and legal rights guaranteed to the detainees by Haitian law and the international human rights treaties that Haiti has ratified.

Excellency, I respectfully remind you that the international community expects from you, as the President who has many times advocated that all Haitians should have the right to live in dignity, a certain moral leadership on this question that is essentially about workers' rights to form a union and demand better working conditions. We therefore urge you to commit to:

· Call on the judicial authorities to release the nine victims of arbitrary detention, as mentioned above

· Call on the judicial authorities to initiate a serious inquiry into the violent incidents at Guacimal on May 27, to find and punish those responsible, according to the procedures set out in the Code of Criminal Instruction

· Urge the parties involved to begin again the negotiations between the management of Produits Agricole Guacimal and the workers' union under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

· Look into putting an end to the system of 'métayage' practised on the Guacimal farm, with a view to reducing the risk of conflicts.