Youri Latortue Accused of Killing Father Jean-Marie Vincent (Video)

UN accused of hiding evidence in murder of priest in Haiti
http://haitiinformationproject.blogspot.ca/2010/10/un-accused-of-hiding-evidence-in-murder.html

Haiti Information Project (HIP) - The United Nations has been sitting on evidence that implicates a powerful Haitian senator in the assassination of a popular priest in 1994. The only known video testimony of an eyewitness to the brutal killing of Father Jean-Marie Vincent was recorded by a UN official in 2005 and has not seen the light of day since. HIP recently received a copy of the video in an anonymous package that included a note stating, “The UN has no interest in pursuing this case or revealing this evidence despite the statements of this eyewitness that Youri Latortue was the triggerman that shot and killed Father Jean-Marie Vincent on August 28, 1994.” The note concluded, “It is a travesty of justice that the UN has been withholding this testimony from the public. They are supposed to be impartial but Latortue has powerful friends in the US Embassy who view him as an asset since his role following the ouster of Aristide in 2004.”

In the video testimony the eyewitness is interrogated by a UN official and explains why she was falsely arrested in 2004 and shuttled from prison to prison until discovered by the same official. The witness also explains that she lived in the United States on and off for several years which is why she preferred to provide the testimony in English.

The witness tells how the Haitian police were holding her for Latortue until he could figure how to “get rid me.” When asked why she feared Latortue she responds, “Because the 28th of August 1994 I witnessed Youri Latortue murder the priest by the name of Jean-Marie Vincent.” She follows with a recounting of the incident and details of the murder. The Haiti Information Project (HIP) has released an excerpt from the video testimony where the image and voice have been digitally altered to protect the identity of the witness.

Youri Latortue is a blood relative and former security chief of the US-installed Prime Minister Gerard Latortue who took control of Haiti in 2004 following the coup that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Elected in 2006, Senator Latortue has most recently been serving as the powerful head of the Haitian parliament's Justice and Security Commission.

According to Haitian law, Senators enjoy immunity from prosecution for crimes and are not required to testify unless the Senator himself waives his immunity, or the Senate votes to lift it. Latortue’s parliamentary immunity is due to expire with the swearing in of the next parliament following elections scheduled for November 28 in Haiti.

Many Haitians suspected that Latortue ran for office in 2006 for the expressed purpose of claiming immunity from prosecution given previous allegations made against him of human right abuses following Aristide’s ouster. A Freedom House report on Haiti released May 3, 2010 stated, “A number of lawmakers elected in 2006 have reportedly been involved in criminal activities, and they sought parliament seats primarily to obtain immunity from prosecution.”

Father Jean-Marie Vincent was fatally shot at point-blank range in front of his rectory at Montfortain in the Port au Prince neighborhood of Christ-Roi on August 28, 1994. At the time of Vincent’s assassination, then Lt. Youri Latortue was a leading member of the Anti-Gang Unit of the Haitian army. Witnesses at the time described two vehicles carrying members of the unit as those responsible for opening fire on Vincent’s vehicle.

A report released by a delegation of the Center for the Study of Human Rights in 2004 stated, "A former high-ranking police official from the USGPN (palace security), Edouard Guerriere...claims that Youri Latortue participated in the 1994 murder of catholic priest Jean-Marie Vincent (as did eyewitnesses in 1995), and that he assisted in the 1993 murder of democracy activist Antoine Izmery. From 1991 to 1993, Latortue was an officer in FADH's [Haitian army] Anti-Gang Unit, the army's most notorious unit for human rights violations."

The video testimony reportedly suppressed by the UN would represent the first time an actual eyewitness to Vincent’s assassination has stepped forward to identify Senator Youri Latortue as the man that pulled the trigger.

ADDENDUM: The UN official, who originally sent this tape anonymously, has since identified himself and the witness. Their identities are being withheld upon his request until such time as revealing them may further the interests of justice in this case.


AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:

Witness: Then, Richard (bleep) said, you know something, I'm gonna call a friend and they're gonna come and see you because from the information I've got they want to kill you.

But I saw Youri Latortue going back and forth on the staircase [at the police station] in Petionville so that's when I said...it clicked. I said oh my God. I'm being set up.

UN Official: So while you were in Petionville you saw Youri walking around?

Witness: not walking around going up and down the staircase from the Commissioner's down to where I was. But he didn't come towards me. When I saw him that's when things clicked. I said okay that's it...I know why I am here.

UN Official: Now let me ask you about that. Why would Youri have something against you. Why would you wanna be....

Witness: Because the 28th of August 1994, I witnessed Youri Latortue murder the priest by the name of Jean-Marie Vincent.

UN Official: Where did you see this?

Witness: In Christ Roi by Turgeau.

UN Official: And was this on the side of the road? A restaurant?

Witness:: No. he was getting into the place where he lives. The priest was getting into the gate.

UN Official: What? He got out of vehicle to open to the gate?

Witness:: No, they were opening the gate for him

UN Official:: Uh huh.

Witness: That's when I saw a pickup....a double white pickup with a bunch of men in black. And uh...I saw Youri. The reason why I remember Youri....I don't remember the other ones. But the reason why I remember Youri because he used to come to (beep) house. And I saw him getting out of the car and shooting at the car. But at that time I didn't know he was a priest. The man they were shooting at. I didn't know he was a priest. And I didn't know the person who was in that car.

UN Official: Right

Witness: It's when I went back to my uncle's house and I was explaining what I witnessed. Then I found out when he said "you know (unintelligible) who they shot?" I said who they shot? He said Jean-Marie Vincent. I said who is Jean-Marie Vincent. He said it's a priest.

WIFOUT!KOUMANMAN!KOUMATIBOULOUT!

RADYO AYISYEN YO TOUNEN PRAVDA.OU PA P TANDE BAGAY SA A DISKITE SOU RADYO YO!
Se pou di w kouman bagay lan ye ann AYITI ;lè yo t ap pale sou zafè DWÒG ta sanble ke gen moun ki ta di ke ARISTIDE te gen koneksyon ak li ;se sa sèlman yo t ap pale ann AYITI.
Radyo KISKEYA gen yon PÈMANANS sou bagay sa a;yo gen yon ti depèch a dwat paj yo an ,ke yo pa janm retire.

Kounye an ,nou wè ke PAUL FARMER ki genyen koneksyon di ke mesyedam GNBIS POUTCHIS yo fè yon pakèt asasinaj e yo mete yo sou do ARISTIDE .
HAITI INFORMATION PROJECT pa p voye monte.Mesyedam sa yo ,byen ke yo senpatizan LAVALAS pa p voye monte .Yo poko janm lan voye monte ,se pa kouneye an ,pou yo ta kòmanse!

Joel wou byen di yo senpatizan lavalas, se pa kredib, mwen pap defann Youri men videyo sa sispek.

pa kite sezisman touye nou .....Plis paseplizye lane map mande jistis pou tout gadson vanyan ki mouri nan move kondisyon ...Kan se pa pou zanmi yo ..Yo ridikilize m..Yo mande m pou m gade silans ....

Yon moso nan pawol pwofet pap pedi ..... TOUT MOUN GENYEN POU JWENNN MENM PWOFET LA GENYEN POU JWENN TOU !

Mesyedam nou va remake tit atik HIP la, se pa sou Youri Latortue li fokis, men sou jan Nasyonzini konplis nan kachotri ki ap fèt ak dokiman sa a. Kidonk, si HIP bay manti, se pa sèlman Youri Latortue ki ta ka rele yo lajistis, se Nasyonzini tou. Si nou suiv byen, yo esplike ki jan se yon anplwaye Nasyonzini ki degoute devan konplisite chèf li yo ki chita sou enfomasyon sa a depi anpil ane, ki voye dokiman an bay jounalis HIP yo. E yo di aktyèlman ni anplwaye nasyonzini an, ni viktim ki pale nan videyo a, idantifye tèt yo alèkile. Kidonk, ou pa nan espas voye monte la ditou.

Sa pou nou konprann parapo ak tout voksal k ap pase nan peyi a, sètansi, blan yo konsyan yo ekspoze tou puiske tout moun konprann an reyalite se yomenm k ap pran gwo desizyon nan peyi a. Parekzanp, lè Ricardo Seitenfus te mete kakachat deyo osijè koudeta Edmond Mulet te planifye kont Preval la, ou remake sa pa te fè bri. Yo retire Mulet tou dousman, epi se anpil ane annapre Preval (kom yon gwo lach) ap pale nan fim Raoul Peck pou li di verite a. Men, se nan moman zak la te komèt la denonsiyasyon an te nesesè. Pou koze Kolera a, se menmman parèyman. Lè yon seri de moun pral vle pale sa yo konnen sou krim MINUSTAH yo l ap two ta.

Jaf

Se konparann mesye sa yo pa konprann.Lan mesye HIP yo gen veteran CISPES (COMMITTEE IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF EL SALVADOR).
Yo jwenn bout EKSTRÈM DWAT TOUYADÒ an, lan yon pwen tèl ke yon ANSYEN GERIYA FMLN lan te ka rive prezidan EL SALVADOR.
Yo fè GOUVÈNMAN MERIKEN an WONT pou l asosye l ak ESKADWON LANMÒ peyi sa a.
Mesye sa yo konnen sa y ap fè ;yo gen kredibilite yo pou yo kenbe ;pou si ,yo pa p lage non ;se sa sèlman m ap di!

Mwen koze pere touye layik , paste touye fidel , milite ak polis touye sivil sa pa janm rann mwen ni cho ni fwet ..Yon jou kon jodya tout verite ap deyo ..Menmsi anpil nan kontinye ap fe move san pou neg pa kontinye plenyen pou anpil sioyen ki disparet nan move move kondisyon..Pawol pwofet genyen pou fe chemen li ...tout bon vre ..TOUT MOUN TOUT MOUN GENYEN POU JWENN TOU BON VRE ! MENM PWOFET LA TI 7 ANS AFRIK DI SID PA ASE ! LI GENYEN POU JWEN LWENN ..NI JCD , JEA, PREVL , JBA ANPIL KRIMINEL DEJA RETOUNEN SOU LYE KRIMMM LA ...YON JOU KONDYA TOUT MOUN GENYEN POU JWEN ![b]

JISTIS! - Randevou Ayisyen 11 Novanm 2012
http://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/36/9890.html ( pou koute emisyon radyo a)

Nan emisyon sa a, Jafrikayiti ak Roger Adam brase lide sou aktyalite Ayiti ki make ak evènman tankou sansinay 2 polisye, kèk jou apre arestasyon Clifford Brandt pou krim kidnapping.

Jafrikayiti jwe yon videyo Haiti Information Project ki sou youtube.com, kote yon fanm ap temwaye devan kamera ajan Nasyonzini, ki jan, ak 2 je nan tèt li, li te wè ansyen militè Youri Latortue rale zàm epi touye defen pè Jean-Marie Vincent.

alewè: http://haitiinformationproject.blogspot.ca/2010/10/un-accused-of-hiding-evidence-in-murder.html (pou wè sous videyo HIP la)