In Brief | Back­ground | Doc­u­ments and News

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In Brief

Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste, a Roman Catholic priest, lib­er­a­tion the­olo­gian and sup­porter of the Fanmi Lavalas polit­i­cal party, was arrested on July 21, 2005 in con­nec­tion with the abduc­tion and mur­der in Haiti of jour­nal­ist Jacques Roche.  He was granted tem­po­rary release by the interim Hait­ian gov­ern­ment on Jan­u­ary 29, 2006 for med­ical treatment. The Court of Appeals dis­missed all charges against him in June 2008. Fr. Jean-Juste died on May 27, 2009 after a long bat­tle with leukemia. He was an inspi­ra­tion and beloved fig­ure to many and will be sorely missed.

Back­ground

Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste was a Roman Catholic priest at the Saint Clare’s Church in Port-au-Prince and a sup­porter of the Fanmi Lavalas polit­i­cal party. He was an out­spo­ken oppo­nent of the interim gov­ern­ment of Prime Min­is­ter Ger­ard Latortue, which ruled Haiti in the after­math of the 2004 coup. He was arrested on mur­der and inter­nal secu­rity charges in Octo­ber 2004, but released in Novem­ber of that year after seven weeks of incarceration.

On July 21, 2005, Fr. Jean-Juste was arrested by police in con­nec­tion with the abduc­tion and mur­der in Haiti of jour­nal­ist Jacques Roche, although he had not been in Haiti at the time of the crime.  No evi­dence was pre­sented against him and Amnesty Inter­na­tional named him a “pris­oner of con­science.”  In Jan­u­ary 2006, a judge dis­missed the mur­der and kid­nap­ping charges (as well as the charges dat­ing back to his Octo­ber 2004 arrest) but charged him with ille­gal weapons pos­ses­sion and con­spir­acy. Shortly there­after, he was granted pro­vi­sional free­dom to receive treat­ment for leukemia in the United States. All charges were even­tu­ally dropped against Fr. Jean-Juste.

Doc­u­ments and News

• Out of prison, priest renews call for democ­racy, Aris­tide in Haiti, Judith Scherr
  –San Fran­cisco Bayview, Feb­ru­ary 3, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste, Spir­i­tual Leader of Haitian-Americans, Dies
  –Miami Her­ald, May 27, 2009
• From the Poor­est, Wealth: Fr. Jean Juste in Indi­anapo­lis
  –Indi­anapo­lis Star, Octo­ber 14, 2008
• Hait­ian Priest Says He Won’t Be a Can­di­date
  –AP, July 9, 2008
• Haiti Court Drops Charges Against Jean Juste
  –Miami Her­ald, June 27, 2008
• Hait­ian priest Ger­ard Jean-Juste cleared of ties to killing
  –South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 21, 2008
• Charges Finally Dropped Against Fr. Jean-Juste
  –Haiti­Analy­sis, June 19, 2008
• Activist Priest Ger­ard Jean-Juste in Port-au-Prince Appeals Court
  –Wad­ner Pierre in The Domin­ion, Decem­ber 14, 2007
• Haiti: Jus­tice Delayed, Again
  –South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Decem­ber 9, 2007
• Obser­va­tions from the Hear­ing of Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  –Ollie Ruth Jef­fer­son, Attorney-at-Law, Novem­ber 30, 2007
• My Rosary is My Only Weapon: Fr. Jean-Juste Goes to Court, Again
  –Bureau des Avo­cats Inter­na­tionaux, Novem­ber 26, 2007
• Saint Jude and Father Jean-Juste
  –John Car­roll, Sep­tem­ber 6, 2007
• Rev. Ger­ard Jean-Juste Returns to Haiti
  –Urges Coun­try­men to Unite, AP, August 17, 2007
• Fr. Jean-Juste Hon­ored in North Miami
  –Feb­ru­ary 11, 2007
• Jean-Juste Impa­tient to Return to Haiti
  –Miami Her­ald, Jan­u­ary 28, 2007
• Father Ger­ard Jean-Juste receives an award for his strug­gle for the rights of refugees on the occa­sion of Mar­tin Luther King Day
  –AHP, Jan­u­ary 16, 2007
• Activist Hait­ian priest finds peace, obscu­rity while recov­er­ing in Broward
  –South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Decem­ber 4, 2006
• Fr.Gerard Jean-Juste: Wikipedia Entry
• Help Fr. Jean-Juste Get Back to His Pul­pit
  –action alert from Pro­fes­sor Bill Quigley of Loy­ola New Orleans Law School, Novem­ber 11, 2006
• Uni­ver­sity of San Fran­cisco Grants For­mer Polit­i­cal Pris­oner Rev. Ger­ard Jean-Juste An Hon­orary Doc­tor­ate
  - Sep­tem­ber 11, 2006
• Update from Fr. Jean-Juste
  –August 9, 2006
• Update from Fr. Jean-Juste
  –July 2006
• Fr. Jean-Juste: Look­ing Home­ward with angles
  –Indi­anapo­lis Star, May 24, 2006
• Moth­ers Day Mes­sage From Fr. Jean-Juste
  –May 11, 2006
• Fr. Jean-Juste Easter Mes­sage
  – April 15, 2006
• Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste inter­viewed on Flash­points
  – KPFA — April 6, 2006
• Update from Fr. Jean-Juste
  – March 6, 2006
• Haiti’s Heart­land Heroes
  — Indi­anapo­lis Star — Feb­ru­ary 22, 2006
• Freed Hait­ian Priest Ger­ard Jean Juste on His Impris­on­ment and the Hait­ian Elec­tions
  - Democ­racy Now! — Feb­ru­ary 8, 2006
• National Lawyers Guild Wel­comes the Lib­er­a­tion of Hait­ian Polit­i­cal Pris­oner Rev. Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  - Jan­u­ary 31, 2006
• Released Hait­ian Priest Treated for Leukemia
  - Miami Her­ald — Jan­u­ary 31, 2006
• Mes­sage from and Action Alert for Pere Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  — Jan­u­ary 23, 2006
• Let­ter from a Hait­ian Prison
  - By Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste — Jan­u­ary 23, 2006
• Ordon­nances in Rev. Ger­ard Jean-Juste Cases
  — Jan­u­ary 19, 2006
• Human Rights First Calls on Haiti’s Min­is­ter of Jus­tice to Release Fr. Jean-Juste
  - Jan­u­ary 23, 2006
• Mes­sage From and Action for Pere Jean-Juste
  - Pro­fes­sor Bill Quigley — Jan­u­ary 23, 2006
• Ordon­nance Dis­miss­ing Charges Related to Death of Jacques Roche and Set­ting Con­spir­acy and Gun Pos­ses­sion Charges for Trial
  - Jan­u­ary 12, 2006
  
• Ordon­nance Dis­miss­ing Charges Related to Fr. Jean-Juste’s Octo­ber 2004 Arrest
  - Decem­ber 7, 2005
• Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) Asks Sec­re­tary of State Rice to Inter­vene to Release Fr. Jean-Juste
  - Jan­u­ary 4, 2006
• Mem­bers of Con­gress Ask Pres­i­dent Bush to Take Action Before Fr. Jean-Juste Dies in Prison
  - Jan­u­ary 20, 2006
• MLK Day in Port au Prince Prison with Fr. Jean-Juste
  - Bill Quigley — Jan­u­ary 16, 2005
• Amnesty Inter­na­tional Action Alert re: Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  –Jan­u­ary 6, 2006
• Pris­oner of Con­science Faces a Deadly Ill­ness
  - Miami Her­ald — Jan­u­ary 2, 2005
• Rev. Ger­ard Jean-Juste– Lan­guish­ing and Sick in a Hait­ian Jail
  - Paul Farmer — Miami Her­ald — Jan­u­ary 2, 2005
• NO Hol­i­day Com­pas­sion From Bush for Hait­ian Polit­i­cal Pris­oner Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  - Dis­si­dent Voice — Decem­ber 25, 2005
• Jailed Priest has Devel­oped Leukemia
  - Miami Her­ald — Decem­ber 29, 2005
• Sup­port­ers rally for med­ical release of Jean-Juste
  – Miami Her­ald — Decem­ber 22, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste’s Fam­ily Pleads for His Release for Christ­mas
  - Decem­ber 12, 2005
• 41 Mem­bers of Con­gress Urge Pres­i­dent Bush to Seek Fr. Jean-Juste’s Release
  — Decem­ber 16, 2005
• North Miami City Coun­cil Passes Res­o­lu­tion Sup­port­ing Rev. Jean-Juste
• Fr. Jean-Juste Update
  - 12–13-05 — Prof. Bill Quigley
• Jail­ing Decried
  – Miami — Her­ald Decem­ber 11, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste Med­ical Exam­i­na­tion Report
  – Decem­ber 1, 2005
• World Lead­ers Call For Release of Haiti’s Polit­i­cal Pris­on­ers
  – Dis­si­dent Voice — Novem­ber 30, 2005
• Amnesty Inter­na­tional: Fr. Jean-Juste a Pris­oner of Conscience
• Update on Fr. Jean-Juste
  — 12–1-05
• UN Offi­cial Deplores Polit­i­cal Pris­on­ers in Haiti
  - Asso­ci­ated Press — Novem­ber 29, 2005
• March for the Release of Fr. Jean-Juste
  – Miami — Decem­ber 10
• Let­ter from the National Pen­i­ten­tiary, Rev. Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  – Novem­ber 20, 2005
• Peti­tion Urg­ing U.S. Catholic Bish­ops to Sup­port Fr. Jean-Juste
• Free This Priest
  - Miami New Times — Octo­ber 27, 2005
• Let­ter from Fr. Jean-Juste in Prison
  – Octo­ber 12, 2005
• A Lawyer for Whom Win­ning Isn’t Every­thing
  – NY Times — Octo­ber 5, 2005
• 400 Reli­gious Lead­ers Sign Let­ter for Free­dom of Pere Jean-Juste
  – Sep­tem­ber 28, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste Sus­pended by Hait­ian Bish­ops
  – AHP — Sep­tem­ber 27, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste Request for Pre-Trial Release
  – August 5, 2005
• Report on Sep­tem­ber 23 Visit to Fr. Jean-Juste
• Call for Reli­gious Lead­ers to Sign Let­ter for Release of Fr. Jean-Juste
  – Sep­tem­ber 20, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste For­gives His Cap­tors, Asks for Free­dom
  – AHP — Sep­tem­ber 7, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste Trans­ferred
  – AP — August 26, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste in Prison, Miami Her­ald
  – August 25, 2005
• Prison Update
  – August 25, 2005
• Mes­sage from Fr. Jean-Juste
  – August 23, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste Prison Update
  – August 23 — 2005
• KEEPING POLITICAL FOES IN JAIL DISCREDITS HAITI ‘S INTERIM GOVERNMENT
  - Miami Her­ald — August 22, 2005
• PRIEST CALLED ‘A PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE’
  - Miami Her­ald — August 20, 2005
• Fr. Jean-Juste Col­lapses in Cell
  – August 16, 2005
• Let­ter from Hait­ian National Pen­i­ten­tiary — We Hear Hope Com­ing
  – by Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste — by way of Bill Quigley — August 16, 2005
• Pro­fes­sor William Quigley to Deliver 2020 Calls For Jus­tice for Fr. Jean-Juste to U.S. Embassy
  – AHP News — August 14
• Amer­i­can Friends Ser­vice Com­mit­tee Let­ter on Recent Events in Haiti
  – July 28, 2005
• No Jus­tice for Haiti ‘s Jean-Juste: Interim gov­ern­ment jails an oppo­si­tion leader
  – Vil­lage Voice, August 5, 2005
• Con­gress­woman Max­ine Waters Urges Pres­i­dent Bush to Take Action to Obtain the Release of Fr. Jean-Juste From Prison in Haiti
  – August 5, 2005
• Con­gres­sional Let­ter in Sup­port of Jus­tice for Fr. Jean-Juste
  — August, 8 2005
• Lawyers Rights Watch Canada : Stop Harass­ing Fr. Jean-Juste, Respect Judi­cial Inde­pen­dence
  – July 20, 2005
• Human Rights First: Urgent Action for Fr. Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  – July 27, 2005
• Haiti Jails Ex-Miami Priest
  – AP — July 27, 2005
• Hait­ian police arrest priest in case of slain jour­nal­ist
  – AP — July 22, 2005
• Hait­ian priest held in death of jour­nal­ist
  – CNN — July 22,2005
• Hait­ian Priest Assaulted by Mob at Funeral and Arrested for Mur­der
  – by Bill Quigley, Esq. — July 22, 2005
• Out­spo­ken priest arrested, charged in Haiti
  – Capi­tol Times — July 22, 2005
• Local Activist Caught in Haiti Con­flict, New Orleans Times
  – Picayune — July 26, 2005
• Democ­racy Now!: Father Jean-Juste Arrested in Port-au-Prince, Held Incom­mu­ni­cado
  – July 25, 2005
• Amnesty Inter­na­tional Declares Fr. Jean-Juste a Pris­oner of Con­science
  – July 26, 2005
• Update July 20, 2005: Fr. Jean-Juste Court Hear­ing
  – Bill Quigley, Esq.
• Trav­els in Haiti with Father Jean-Juste
  – Bill Quigley, Coun­ter­punch July 20, 2005
• Update from Fr. Jean-Juste’s Lawyer
  – July 18, 2005
• Per­se­cu­tion of Fr. Jean-Juste Increases Dramatically
• Let­ter from Rep. Max­ine Waters, U.S. House of Rep­re­sen­ta­tives in Sup­port of Jus­tice for Fr. Jean-Juste
  – July 15, 2005
• Attacks on Fr. Jean-Juste
  – March 2005
  • Photo of Fr. Jean-Juste
• Fr. Jean-Juste, Polit­i­cal Pris­oner
  – Octo­ber 13 — Novem­ber 29, 2005
• Dis­turb­ing the Peace in Haiti
• One Down, 700 to Go: Polit­i­cal Pris­on­ers in Haiti
• An Pren­sip
  – April 2005
• Haiti-Priest Detained
  – AP, July 19, 2005
• Inter­na­tional Asso­ci­a­tion of Demo­c­ra­tic Lawyers Calls for an End to Per­se­cu­tion of Fr. Jean-Juste and Other Polit­i­cal Dis­si­dents
  – June 10, 2005
• The Lib­er­a­tion of Pere Ger­ard Jean-Juste
  - Blue­print, Febuary 2005