The last time I saw him was at Washington,
DC’s Union Station. He would shortly be returning to Haiti.
We chatted and briefly discussed the political situation in
Haiti, but then had to part company. I assumed I would see
him again on his next trip to the USA.
Lovinsky has now disappeared. In fact, Lovinsky
Pierre-Antoine, activist member of Fanmi Lavalas — the political
party led by the ousted President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand
Aristide — and founder of the Fondasyon Trant Septanm (September
30th Foundation), was kidnapped this summer while in Haiti.
No one has heard anything from him nor has there been a publicly
announced ransom demand. His car was left abandoned and
he has vanished as if he had never existed.
During the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s I
would hear or read hair-raising stories about political repression
against progressive activists and human rights advocates in
places such as Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador,
Guatemala, and, yes, in Haiti. In fact, a verb “disappear”
became a noun “the disappeared,” to describe the victims of
political kidnappings and covert assassinations aimed at those
who fought on the side of the poor and oppressed. In some
cases, the “disappeared” would be released, generally after
having been tortured, but almost always as a result of an
international outcry. In all too many cases, however, nothing
was every heard or seen of these individuals again.
Lovinsky is a long-time Haitian activist who
dedicated himself to advancing the interests of the Haitian
majority: the poor and dispossessed. A prominent activist
in the period leading up to the coup against democratically
elected President Aristide, Lovinsky fled Haiti in the aftermath
of the coup and came to the USA.
With the election of President Rene Preval,
Haiti was supposed to have returned to normality. This has
not been the case. The United Nations forces in Haiti, which
should have been a sword against the tyrants and their allies,
have served the role of the intimidator of Lavalas members
and supporters. Death squads and criminal gangs continue
to terrorize communities, as well as terrorize human rights
activists.
And so, Lovinsky has vanished. As each day
passes, the chances of a safe recovery diminish. This means
that the Haitian government in particular, must take active
and aggressive steps to investigate Lovinsky’s disappearance
and secure his safe release. In this, they must have the
support of UN forces on the ground.
That means that YOU need to do something right
now; not tomorrow or next week, but right now.
During the 1980s, a close friend and mentor
of mine from Congo (then called Zaire) was imprisoned by the
then president of the country, the notorious Mobutu Sese Seko.
Mobutu was known for violently eliminating his political opponents
and my friend certainly qualified as one of them. Through
an international campaign of pressure on both the US government
and the Zairian government, my friend’s release was secured.
Many people were skeptical that this could happen, but we
prevailed.
Lovinsky needs just that sort of effort right
now!
BlackCommentator.com
Editorial Board member, Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a labor and
international writer and activist, and the immediate past
president of TransAfrica Forum. Click
here to contact Mr. Fletcher.