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In an open letter, Sister Dona Bélizaire calls for understanding of the injustice she says she has been subjected to. She shared her message with the public and appealed directly to her fellow Haitians.
“Dear compatriots,
Today, Sister Dona Belizaire is Barabbas because the kidnapper in question was released by the Deputy Commissioner of the Government, Rodriguez, for reasons unknown so far. And despite the confessions and evidence gathered by the Court of Peace of Kenscoff, they still keep me detained in the civil prison of Petion Ville, falsely accusing me of kidnapping that I absolutely have nothing to do with. Maybe God wants me to go through this experience in prison so I can continue to fight and advocate for those who do not have a voice, who do not have legal representation, and who are languishing behind bars in the cells of misery.
Our judges have forgotten their main mission, which is to try people fairly so there is equilibrium and fairness in justice, and so that the nation of Haiti may be elevated. Righteousness exalts a nation and injustice is the shame of a people.
Dear compatriots, let me take the opportunity to tell you about the situation that led to my imprisonment in the civil prison of Petion Ville since June 21, 2012.
On June 5th, a child named Raphael Chenet was kidnapped by a former employee of my orphanage that I have run for 23 years. After the investigation by the Court of Peace of Kenscoff and the police of this town, and after several hearings, three suspects were arrested. They released two of them who were not involved in the kidnapping of a minor. I fully understand that Judge Frantz Jean Ducasse, a competent jurisdiction, recognizes very well that criminal law is strictly construed and that criminal liability is personal.
The third suspect was taken to the prosecutor’s office and despite all the supporting evidence, he was quickly released and the file was sent to the office of instruction with no one in custody. The cell phone of the accused, which included SMS messages that could prove his guilt, was not sent. Today, I am paying the piper, incarcerated for a month in an inhuman situation in the civil prison of Petion Ville, where respect for human rights is being grossly violated.
Sister Dona Bélizaire”
She continued by stating that she chose to shed further light on the issue by publishing the second expedition of the preliminary information from the Justice of the Court of Peace of Kenscoff dated June 18, 2012. Below is the extract exactly as referenced.
Excerpt from the Court Registry of Peace, Kenscoff:
“The year two thousand and nine and Saturday July 18 at five in the afternoon, 208th year of Independence.
Before us, Jean Frantz Ducasse, Justice of Peace of the town of Kenscoff, police officer, auxiliary to the Government Commissioner near the Civil Court of First Instance of the capital, assisted by Mr. Aneste Derise, Clerk.
Following a written request from the firm Chery and Associates dated June 10, 2012, asking us to go to the orphanage Sisters of Nazareth Redemptive located at Plato Coffee, in order to verify the presence of a minor by the name of Raphael Chenet, the court went to the scene and did not find the minor at that time. One of the administrators of the orphanage, Ms. Euphony Beatrice, the Administrative Secretary, informed us that the minor Raphael Chenet had disappeared from the orphanage on Sunday, June 5 at night around seven. Henceforth, that prompted the process.
Certain information allowed us to arrest someone by the name of Prophet. The latter, a trusted friend of Djimmy Mémé, had personally handed the minor Raphael Chenet to Peguy Blanc, who was riding a motorcycle. Prophet, who had nothing to do with the kidnapping, allowed us to trace the path of Peguy and we apprehended them near Delmas, specifically at the crossroads of the airport.
In a letter dated June 15, 2012, addressed to the Head of Police of this municipality, asking him to arrange with the investigation service for in depth interrogation of Djimmy Mémé, Joanel Joseph, and Prophet Tilus on the facts of abduction, and after they were questioned repeatedly, Djimmy Mémé, who was directly involved, admitted that Johanel Joseph and Prophet Tilus had nothing at all to do with this matter and declared that the two people were innocent. Having established their innocence, the court let them go.
Djimmy Mémé said without hesitation that the sister who is the owner in charge and responsible to act on behalf of Sister Dona Belizaire, who is also the Executive Director for Ms. Euphony Beatrice, and that no staff member was involved at all. He confessed that he was the author responsible for the kidnapping, with the complicity of Péguy Blanc, who had a concubine, a white woman named Christine, of Canadian nationality. She wanted to adopt the minor Raphael Chenet, and it was for that reason that Djimmy removed the child from the orphanage to hand him to Peguy Blanc, who had offered the sum of two thousand US dollars when Christine entered Haiti. That information was confirmed by several SMS messages from Djimmy’s mobile phone.
Not having the means to trace the path of Peguy Blanc and Christine, the principal authors, MINUSTAH promised to put at our disposal the resources necessary to trace these people. But MINUSTAH did not keep its promise, which prevented the court from following up on this matter and issuing an arrest warrant for Péguy. The court remits Djimmy Mémé to the prosecutor of the capital and asks the Commissioner of the Government to do everything within his power to trace Christine, who is a Canadian who comes to Haiti frequently according to statements made by Djimmy Mémé.”
Sister Dona Bélizaire concluded with the following reflection.
“I think, after reading this, you understand that Barabbas was released to crucify Jesus Christ, who was given a crown of thorns after so many services rendered. Today, after 23 years of hard work with a bowl around the world begging for a dollar to save the lives of our Haitian children, they have put a crown of accusation on me with the charge of trafficking children.
I take this opportunity to draw the attention of the Bar of Lawyers of Port au Prince, the Ministry of Justice, RNDDH, Justice and Peace, and all other institutions that promote respect for human rights, to understand the injustice that I am being subjected to.”
Sister Dona Belizaire
