By: Wadner Pierre - HaitiAnalysis.com

Celebrating their 3rd anniversary, on June 3rd 2007, the Kolektif Fanmi Prizonye Politk (Collective of Political Prisoner Families) marched through Port-Au-Prince. The grassroots organization, made up mostly of women and young people, demonstrated in front of the National Palace, the Palace of Justice, and the Ministry of Women. The march ended in the front of the Ministry of Justice.

Organizers of the group say their objective is to call attention to the plight of political prisoners arrested under the de facto government of Gerard Latortue - many of whom are poor people from Bel Air, Cité Soleil, the Grande Ravine district of Martissant and Haiti's second largest city, Cap-Haïtien.

One member of the group, Mrs. Kermeline, spoke in front of the Ministry of Women. She discussed the cases of numerous women that remain in jail without being formally charged. "We demand Marie Laurence Lassegue, the Minister of Women, speak out in defense of female prisoners who have never been brought before a judge. Are you only the Minister of rich women?" Many of the donor groups active in Haiti have turned a blind eye to the continuing plight of political prisoners in Haiti.

An organizer with the group, Mrs. Fritz, added, "We do not only demand the release of Fanmi Lavalas partisans (arrested in large numbers after February 2004) but of all political prisoners. We demand that the real criminals who have harmed our communities be brought to justice." Human rights groups have documented numerous attacks led by security and paramilitary forces associated with the interim government (2004-06) of launching violent attacks upon Haiti's poorest communities.

Mrs. Rospide, another speaker for the group, challenged government authorities to show that they do not only serve the elite, but all Haitians. The march finished in front of Ministry of Justice with the message, "We are not going to stop until all people illegally arrested are released." The marchers also demanded that government authorities investigate all of the illegal arrests of those already set free.