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Haiti: The Aristide Foundation for Democracy, including its objectives, its founding date, the address of its headquarters, its financial resources, and its leaders in 2003, if it was still in operation; if not, the date on which the Foundation ceased its activities and the whereabouts its leaders (2003-2004)

Founding and objectives of the Aristide Foundation for Democracy

In correspondence sent to the Research Directorate on 5 November 2004, a professor of sociology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, who is an expert on issues related to Haiti, stated that the Aristide Foundation for Democracy (Fondation Aristide pour la démocratie) was founded in 1995, at the end of Jean-Bertrand Aristide's first term in office.

A profile of Jean-Bertrand Aristide on the Haïti Référence Website indicated that the Aristide Foundation for Democracy [translation] "is like a centre for sharing political ideas and a laboratory for social economy" (n.d.). The professor of sociology also stated that, in the beginning, the Aristide Foundation was supposed to promote democratic development through activities that provided political education and support for the social economy (5 Nov. 2004).

However, it quickly became clear that the Aristide Foundation was [translation] "serving its founder's political ambitions" (professor 5 Nov. 2004).

In 2001, the Aristide Foundation founded a university where students could study medicine and other disciplines (Haiti Action Committee n.d.).

No information corroborating the objectives of the Aristide Foundation or providing a date when the Foundation ceased its activities could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Address of the Aristide Foundation headquarters

A list of Haitian radio stations indicated that Jean-Bertrand Aristide is one of Radio Timoun's two directors, and that this radio station operates from offices owned by the Aristide Foundation for Democracy on Boulevard October 15 (Haïtimedia n.d.). Another article mentioned that property owned by Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the Aristide Foundation offices had been ransacked, but it did not specify whether these were located at the same address (Haiti Press Network 2 Mar. 2004). No corroborating information on the Aristide Foundation's address could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Financial resources

The university professor also stated that management of the Foundation was "opaque" and that it is difficult to know for certain how it was financed (5 Nov. 2004).

The National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR) reported [translation] "a rice scandal that involved the Aristide Foundation" in 2001 (n.d.). A new cooperative (Coopérative pou nou tout) acting on behalf of the Aristide Foundation allegedly distributed rice with funds from unknown sources (NCHR n.d.; Haïti Progrès 6 Feb. 2002), and avoided paying cargo fees (ibid.). The sociology professor indicated that the Foundation resold imported rice at good prices to [translation] "small rice merchants" (5 Nov. 2004).

The spokesperson for the Haiti State University (Université d'État d'Haïti, UEH) council pointed out that the Aristide Foundation's university had been "set up with funds that [were] supposed to go to UEH" (Radio Métropole 8 Dec. 003). A 2 March 2004 article from Haïti Press Network indicated that the Aristide Foundation's university was [translation] "created in cooperation with the Haitian, Taiwanese and Cuban governments."

No other information about the Aristide Foundation's financial resources could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Leaders of the Aristide Foundation

The sources consulted by the Research Directorate did not specifically identify who headed the Foundation in 2003. However, the following information may be of some use.

According to an article on the Haïti Échanges Website, Jean-Bertrand Aristide's wife, Mildred Trouillot Aristide, was a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors (Haïti Échanges 1 Dec. 2003). A report by Reporters sans frontières also noted that Jean-Marie Plantin was a member of the Board of Directors (July 2004).

Moreover, one source indicated that the director of the Aristide Foundation, Toissant Hilaire, sought refuge at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Port-au-Prince on 29 February 2004 (FBIS Report 1 Mar. 2004).

Senator "Milande Liberis Pavert" is also reported to have sought refuge at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Port-au-Prince on 29 February 2004 (ibid.). This name is similar to that of "Mirlande Libérus," who is reported by Haïti Progrès to be a senator and the head of the Aristide Foundation (6 Feb. 2002). An article published in the daily Le Monde reported that [translation] "Mirlande Lubérice, leader of the Aristide Foundation" was with Jean-Bertrand Aristide at his home in Tabarre, Port-au-Prince, during the final hours of his regime (7 Mar. 2004).

The Haiti Action Committee indicated that the majority of the Foundation's staff lives in exile (n.d.). No other information on the leaders of the Aristide Foundation could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Ongoing or terminated activities

An American delegation of the Haiti Action Committee in San Francisco visited Haiti from 29 June to 9 July 2004 and reported that Aristide Foundation activities, such as "literacy programs, a large community store, [and] a TV and radio station for children," had been halted by the de facto government (n.d.).

Amnesty International indicated that, on 1 May 2004, opponents attacked Radio Timoun and Télé Timoun, radio and television stations owned and operated by the Aristide Foundation (21 June 2004). The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Haiti Action Committee, and Reporters sans frontières also reported that the government ordered Radio Tomoun and Télé Timoun to shut down on 18 May 2004 (CPJ 2 June 2004; Haiti Action Committee n.d.; Reporter sans frontières July 2004).

According to the Haiti Action Committee, the Aristide Foundation and its staff received continued threats, both the organization's and the employees' bank accounts were frozen, and the Foundation was "unable to pay salaries owed to its staff or to resume activities" (n.d.). However, the Aristide Foundation offices are still used as a place "to meet and plan peaceful protests" (Haiti Action Committee n.d.). No information corroborating reports by the Haiti Action Committee about meetings being held at the Fondation Aristide offices or about the freezing of its bank accounts could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints for this Response.

A 7 September 2004 article by the Agence haïtienne de presse (AHP) indicated that representatives of the Fanmi Lavalas, Jean-Bertrand Aristide's political party, were distributing school supplies to children at the Aristide Foundation offices.

No other information on the activities of the Aristide Foundation could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints for this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence haïtienne de presse (AHP). 7 September 2004. "One Billion Two Hundred Thousand Gourdes Have Been Released for the Fall Academic Year, According to the Education Minister." <http://www.ahphaiti.org/eng.html> [Accessed 1 Nov. 2004]

Amnesty International (AI). 21 June 2004. "Haiti: Breaking the Cycle of Violence: A Last Chance for Haiti." (AI Index: AMR 36/038/2004). <http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR360382004> [Accessed 27 Oct. 2004]

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). 2 June 2004. "Haiti: Cameraman Detained Without Charge." <http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Haiti02june04na.html> [Accessed 27 Oct. 2004]

FBIS Report. 1 March 2004. "Highlights: Dominican Republic Press." (Dialog)

Haiti Action Committee. n.d. Laura Flynn, Robert Roth and Leslie Fleming. "Report of the Haiti Accompaniment Project." <http://www.haitiaction.net/News/hap6_29_4.html> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

Haïti Échanges. 1 December 2003. "La contribution de Mildred Trouillot Aristide." <http://haitiechanges.free.fr/archi1203.htm> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

Haïtimédia. n.d. List of radio stations and other media. <http://www.haitimedia.com/medias.htm> [Accessed 1 Nov. 2004]

Haïti Press Network. 6 October 2004. "Plus de 200 étudiants haïtiens en médecine s'envolent pour Cuba." <http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=5396> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]
_____. 2 March 2004. "La résidence du président déchu pillée." <http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=4495> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

Haïti Progrès. 6-12 February 2002. "Rice Scandal Rocks Aristide's Party." <http://www.haiti-progres.com/2002/sm020206/ENG02-06.htm> [Accessed 3 Nov. 2004]

Haïti Référence. 29 February 2004. "Profil de Jean Bertrand Aristide." <http://www.haiti-reference.com/histoire/notables/aristide.html> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

Le Monde. 7 March 2004. "Comment Jean-Bertrand Aristide a été poussé par les États-Unis à quitter le pouvoir en Haïti." <http://www.haiticulture.ch/haiti_aristide_coup.html> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

National Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR). 14 September 2004. "La Coalition nationale pour les droits des Haïtiens note que la première année du retour au pouvoir du président Jean Bertrand Aristide est caractérisée par une nette détérioration de la situation générale des droits humains en Haïti." <http://www.nchr.org/hrp/scorecard_fr.htm> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

Professor of sociology at the Université du Québec à Montréal. 5 November 2004. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

Radio Métropole [Port-au-Prince, in French]. 8 December 2003. "Haiti: Highlights of Radio Metropole News." (BBC International Reports/Dialog)

Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris. July 2004. "Haïti. La liberté de presse retrouvée : un espoir à entretenir." <http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/RapportRSF_Haiti_fr.pdf> [Accessed 2 Nov. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Canadian Foundation for the Americas, Ecoi.net, Haïti en marche, Haïtiglobalvillage.com, Haïtionline.com, Human Rights Watch, Miami Herald, Radio métropole, Resource Center of the Americas, Washington Office on Latin America.