****NEW UPDATE**** 3:40 p.m.
10 Americans suspected of trafficking in Haitian childrenwere charged with child kidnapping and criminal association on Thursday, their lawyer said.
Coq said that under Haiti's legal system, there won't be an open trial, but a judge will consider the evidence and could render a verdict in about three months.
Coq said a Haitian prosecutor told him the Americans were charged because they had the children in their possession. No one from the Haitian government could be reached immediately for comment. Each kidnapping count carries a possible sentence of five to 15 years in prison. Each criminal association count has a potential sentence of three to nine years.
****PREVIOUS STORY****
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A Haitian prosecutor investigating the case of 10 Americans suspected of trafficking in Haitian children whom they had claimed were earthquake orphans was expected to decide later Thursday whether to pursue criminal charges or drop the matter.
At about noon on Thursday, two vehicles carrying the Americans pulled up to the city’s white central courthouse, where they were met by a crush of reporters there to cover a case that has become a flashpoint for Haiti’s fears of foreign encroachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
“We’re just trusting God for a positive outcome,” one of them said as she waited to be taken into the court building, where a prosecutor was expected to question the Americans.
The detainees, most of them members of a Baptist congregation from Idaho, were not in handcuffs.
Edwin Coq, a lawyer for the Baptists, said that nine of his 10 clients were “completely innocent,” but added that “if the judiciary were to keep one, it could be the leader of the group.” He appeared to be referring to Laura Silsby, who helped organize the mission to Haiti and has spoken for the Americans since they were detained last Friday.
“I’m trying to get them all free but I don’t yet know what’s going to happen,” Mr. Coq said in an interview at his earthquake-damaged law offices in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
The Americans were arrested near the border as they tried to take 33 Haitian children to what they had said was an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, where they would stay in a “loving Christian home-like environment” and be eligible for adoption, according to a Web site for their orphanage.
The Americans, their lawyers and members of their churches have said they are innocent of any wrongdoing, and said the imbroglio was a huge misunderstanding. In an interview earlier this week, Ms. Silsby said the group had come to Haiti to rescue children orphaned by the earthquake, and that “our hearts were in the right place.”
But several of the 33 children had at least one living parent, and some of those parents said the Baptists had promised simply to educate the youngsters in the Dominican Republic, and said the children would be able to return to Haiti to visit their families.
Some Haitian leaders have called the Americans kidnappers, but no criminal charges have been filed. Several of the Americans were questioned by the judge investigating the case on Tuesday.
Since the Americans were arrested, Haitian judicial officials have left open the possibility that the Americans could be returned to the United States for possible trial, sparing Haiti’s crippled justice system a high-profile criminal prosecution fraught with diplomatic and political land mines.
Fox News commentators Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck are embroiled in controversy AGAIN; this time for comments comparing the southside of Chicago to Haiti. WTH?
O’Reilly made the comments on Jan.23 in Westbury, NY as the two Fox commentators are on the Bold Fresh Tour, a national traveling town hall meeting to talk about political and cultural issues while promoting their brand and books. My question is when were you two on the southside of Chicago and what did you see that no one else sees?
Hear the shocking comments for yourself.
What is it with people making comments about Haiti?
ESPN fired former NBA player Paul Shirley from his position as a sports blogger for a blog he wrote on another website criticizing Haiti relief efforts and the victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake.
In the blog Shirley posted on Flipcollective.com he alleged that Haitians are responsible for their own fate and should bear the brunt of their recovery.
I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not. I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re Help” is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don’t think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.
… Shouldn’t much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?”
Later on in the blog Shirley wrote a letter “from the rest of the World” to the Haitian people
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded. As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely, The Rest of the World
In a one paragraph statement ,ESPN said Shirley will no longer contribute to their sports coverage.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Bandits in Haiti are preying on vulnerable earthquake survivors, even raping women, in makeshift camps which were set up in the capital of Port-au-Prince after the disaster.
"With the blackout that's befallen the Haitian capital, bandits are taking advantage to harass and rape women and young girls under the tents," Haiti’s national police chief Mario Andresol said yesterday.
"We have more than 7,000 detainees in the streets who escaped from the National Penitentiary the evening of the earthquake... It took us five years to apprehend them. Today they are running wild."
Rachelle Dolce, who is living at a large makeshift camp on the Petionville Club Golf Course, said she thought a rape had occurred outside her tent the previous night. She said she heard men making noise and a woman struggling.
"I heard a fight outside, and I saw panties on the ground," she said. "I started to shout a lot, and they left."
Figures for the number of crimes were not available but women's organizations have already detailed a number of cases and alerted the United Nations mission in Haiti, Andresol said.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti-- Two weeks after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, the numbers have mounted. The numbers tell stories of death and destruction, as well as a global outpouring of aid.
Below is a compiled list with the most reliable figures available as the devastation continues to unfold:
THE TOLL
150,000: Latest estimate of the death toll, from the Haitian Health Ministry. The European Union and the Pan American Health Organization, which is coordinating the health-sector response, have estimated the quake killed 200,000 people.
194,000: Number of injured
134: Estimated number of people rescued by international search teams since the quake
THE EFFECT
9 million: Population of Haiti
3 million: Estimated number of people affected by the quake
1.5 million: Homeless people living on streets, including the thousands who lived in slums or makeshift homes prior to the quake
235,000: People who have left Port-au-Prince using free transportation provided by the government. The number who left by private means is undetermined.
At least 50: Aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or higher that have hit Haiti since the January 12 quake
THE CHILDREN
300,000: Children younger than 2 who need nutritional support
90: Percentage of schools in Port-au-Prince that have been destroyed
497: Haitian orphans who have been evacuated
THE RESPONSE IN DOLLARS
$1.12 billion: International aid pledges
$783 million: Funds received as of Tuesday
$317 million: U.S. assistance as of Monday
THE RESPONSE IN MANPOWER
17,000: U.S. military personnel in and around Haiti
8 million: Meals the World Food Programme has delivered to nearly 400,000 people
300: Aid distribution sites that are up and running
130 to 150: Flights arriving every day at the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport with aid
Huge crowd of Haitians lines up for rice
EFFECT ON FOREIGNERS
12,000: U.N. workers in the country at the time of the quake
53: U.N. workers still missing
At least 82: U.N. workers confirmed dead
27: U.N. workers injured or hospitalized
11,500: Americans and family members who have been evacuated
4,800: Americans unaccounted for
60: Americans confirmed dead
Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Red Cross, the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department and the World Food Programme, Haiti Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive
Haitian-American Wyclef Jean held a press conference in New York on Monday to defend against accusations that he has profited from his charity Yele Haiti. Since the massive earthquake that struck Haiti last Tuesday, Wyclef has called on the public to text "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund which has raised over $2 millions in just days.
"Yele's books are open and transparent. We have been given a clean bill of health by an external auditor every year since we started," Jean told reporters
He denied all accusations that he personally benefited for Yele Haiti and pointed out that he gave $1 million of his own money to the charity.
He referred all further questions on finances to the president of the foundation, Hugh Locke.
This was the second time in three days Jean has defended the charity.
Last week, The Smoking Gun released IRS forms filed by Yele Haiti that seem to show the nonprofit used donations to pay "the performer and his business partner at least $410,000 for rent, production service and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert sponsored by Yele Haiti. The foundation has filed tax returns for only 3 of the 12 years it has been active and filed those forms only this past August.
Wyclef has not addressed specific financial question in his recent statements but defended himself by saying: "Accusations have been made about me and about Yele. I'm not at all sad by this because my daddy told me the day would always come where you would always be challenged by doing good work."
Seems like daddy should have also told him make sure you keep your books straight and file your taxes.
Haiti's presidential palace and numerous other government buildings in the country's capital Port-au-Prince collapsed Tuesday after a massive 7.0 earthquake, according to online reports from Haitian television.
Communications to the island, the most impoverished in the western hemisphere, were severely disrupted in the wake of quake, which produced several aftershocks and prompted a tsunami warning.
A journalist with Haitian television station Haitipal, interviewed by telephone from Port-au-Prince, told AFP that public buildings across the capital had been destroyed.
"The presidential palace, the finance ministry, the ministry of public works, the ministry of communication and culture,'' were all affected by the quake, the reporter said, adding that the parliament building and a cathedral in the capital were also crumbling.
The first shock, which was centered 710 miles (1140 km) south east of Miami, Florida, struck at 4.53 p.m. local time on Tuesday (9:53 p.m. GMT).
It was followed by three aftershocks, measuring 5.9, 5.5 and 5.1 on the magnitude scale, the US Geological Survey reported.
A tsunami alert issued for the Caribbean region after the earthquake struck was later canceled.
President Barack Obama says the United States stood "ready to assist'' Haiti after a powerful 7.0 quake rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti,'' he said on Tuesday (EST).
A Reuters reporter the capital Port-au-Prince said he saw dozens of dead and injured people in the rubble, which blocked streets in the city.
"Everything started shaking, people were screaming, houses started collapsing ... it's total chaos," Reuters reporter Joseph Guyler Delva said.
"I saw people under the rubble, and people killed," he added.
Haiti's presidential palace and numerous other government buildings in the country's capital Port-au-Prince collapsed Tuesday after a massive 7.0 earthquake, according to online reports from Haitian television.
Communications to the island, the most impoverished in the western hemisphere, were severely disrupted in the wake of quake, which produced several aftershocks and prompted a tsunami warning.
A journalist with Haitian television station Haitipal, interviewed by telephone from Port-au-Prince, told AFP that public buildings across the capital had been destroyed.
Haitians standing amid rubble after a 7.0 earthquake rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation.
"The presidential palace, the finance ministry, the ministry of public works, the ministry of communication and culture,'' were all affected by the quake, the reporter said, adding that the parliament building and a cathedral in the capital were also crumbling.
The first shock, which was centered 710 miles (1140 km) south east of Miami, Florida, struck at 4.53 p.m. local time on Tuesday (9:53 p.m. GMT).
It was followed by three aftershocks, measuring 5.9, 5.5 and 5.1 on the magnitude scale, the US Geological Survey reported.
A tsunami alert issued for the Caribbean region after the earthquake struck was later canceled.
President Barack Obama says the United States stood "ready to assist'' Haiti after a powerful 7.0 quake rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti,'' he said on Tuesday (EST).
A Reuters reporter the capital Port-au-Prince said he saw dozens of dead and injured people in the rubble, which blocked streets in the city.
"Everything started shaking, people were screaming, houses started collapsing ... it's total chaos," Reuters reporter Joseph Guyler Delva said.
"I saw people under the rubble, and people killed," he added
