Jailed priest awaits charges, medical care (Jean Juste / Haiti)

[struggle4progress]

Haiti's treament of Father Gerard Jean-Juste is the latest embarrassment for the country's interim government.

By DAVID ADAMS, Times Latin America Correspondent
Published January 16, 2006

... Jean-Juste, 59, was arrested in July in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Haitian journalist and poet Jacques Roche. Almost six months later he has yet to be formally charged in the case, prompting accusations of political persecution by the government against one of its most outspoken critics ...

Prior to his arrest, Jean-Juste was one of the most prominent voices in Haiti calling for Aristide's return from exile in South Africa. It was also rumored that Jean-Juste was considering running for president on a platform to put Aristide back in power ...

This is not the first time that Jean-Juste has fallen foul of Haiti's justice system. He was arrested in October 2004 at his church, St. Claire's, on charges of "plotting against the internal security of the state." He was released after six weeks in jail when a judge dismissed the charges ...

One fact stands out in the case: Jean-Juste was in Miami during the entire time of Roche's kidnapping and murder ...

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/16/Worldandnation/Jailed_priest_awaits_.shtml