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LETTER TO THE BRAZILIAN EMBASSY, LONDON
Lillian Duart and Tulio Kafuri Brazilian Embassy 32 Green St, London WC1 Email: info@brazil.org.uk 18 June 2008 Dear Lillian Duart and Tulio Kafuri,
We are writing to follow up the meeting we had with you on 29 May, regarding Mr Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine, the disappeared human rights activist. We were glad to hear what steps the Brazilian government has taken so far to help find Mr Pierre-Antoine. We hope that our meeting will spur increased action by the Embassy on behalf of this much-loved and respected husband, father and community organiser.
We were surprised that you asked the police to be present at the meeting since our Vigil has been nothing but peaceful, and we wish to thank the officers for their respectful presence.
We confirm our request for a copy of the letter Tulio Kafuri read in the meeting which listed Brazil’s requests for information from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the Haitian police and Ministry of Justice, and the United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations. It will help us to follow this up with the relevant authorities. Please send it to our address above, or to our email.
We would also like to confirm our request for a response to our letter of 13 March 2007, addressed to H.E. Ambassador Carlos Augusto R Santos-Neves. As we mentioned when we met, it is important to have an official explanation of why the head of the Embassy’s trade section, Demétrio Bueno Carvalho, came by our Vigil on 5 March, saying he had ”unofficial” news that Mr Pierre-Antoine had been killed. We have not heard this from his family, or from members of his organisation.
You said that official enquiries by the Brazilian government about Mr Pierre-Antoine’s disappearance started in November 2007 as a result of our Vigil in front of the Embassy. Yet it took you six months to inform us that you were taking steps and what they were. We appreciate that governments have to go through official channels, but as we said in the meeting, it is a question of political will, and of prioritising saving the life of a prominent and respected human rights activist. While he is missing, it is clear the lives of women, children and men in Haiti’s most impoverished communities, who are the majority and who are the people he worked with and was dedicated to, are not safe.
You told us that once Brazil designates its troops to the UN, it no longer has responsibility for them. But it was Brazil’s choice to participate in and head MINUSTAH, and there is a growing outcry across the world about MINUSTAH’s presence in Haiti and the behaviour of its troops. While this was not the focus of the meeting, we must note that our colleague Mr Pierre-Antoine publicly spoke against violence, including murder and rape by UN troops reported by residents of Cité Soleil and confirmed by independent journalists. We enclose the DVD “What’s happening in Haiti”, a news item about UN murders by the Haiti Action Committee.
As we said at the meeting, the people of Haiti are owed a huge debt. They were the first to overthrow slavery, but they have never got the recognition they deserve for this enormous contribution to humanity. Our colleague Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine personifies their resilience and determination in their fight for justice. Despite the coups and occupations, and the racist media coverage they have suffered, they are not giving up. Neither can we.
Pressure from concerned people around the world will continue for the return of Mr Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. We renew our request that Brazil do everything in their power to help find him.
We look forward to receiving the documents.
Yours sincerely
Sara Callaway and Nina López
Enclose dvd: “What’s Going on In Haiti?”
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