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IFES helped oust aristide colonize haiti { December 20 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/20/154247 http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/20/154247 Monday, December 20th, 2004 Freed Haitian Priest Gerard Jean-Juste: Aristide Supporters "Are Not Only Targeted, We Are Being Chased" THOMAS GRIFFIN: I didn't go down there exactly to find that out, I was more documenting the human rights abuses. But in the course of my interviews, I was able to uncover that a U.S. foundation paid by U.S.A.I.D., known as IFES, which stands for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, had basically been in Haiti for almost -- since Aristide was re-elected in 2000, working to undermine the government by coalescing various sectors of society against him by what they called a sensitization program. They started with judges and lawyers, and their program, which was set up with seminars both in the United States and here, was to teach these groups that Aristide had co-opted the judicial system, that he was the reason for the corruption in the judicial system and the reason why people weren't being prosecuted that were committing human rights abuses. So they had sort of many tentacles that went out to different groups. They brought in the media, so that there was a campaign against Aristide in the media. They brought in human rights groups and actually set up a hotline at one of the human rights groups to take only complaints about pro-Aristide violence and that was then publicized in the media, that they had co-opted, and also at the U.S. embassy in and other agencies. So, and that group ultimately, after a couple of years of work, formed what is known as the group of 184, and that became the main opposition force politically in -- for Jean-Bertrand Aristide. AMY GOODMAN: Who heads up IFES? THOMAS GRIFFIN: In the United States, I believe the chairman of the board of directors is a man named Richard Hybl; in Haiti it's a man named Amami Sola* that controls all the programs down there. Thomas Griffin, human rights and immigration lawyer who recently traveled to Haiti to document human rights abuses

aristide-removal dissent paramilitary-rebels post-coup-rule American ambassador in haiti accuses US of coup { January 29 2006 } Americans flee haiti as rebellion spreads { February 20 2004 } Answers to questions about haiti coup { March 2 2004 } Aristide lawsuit against us france over kidnapping Aristide supporters attack students { February 21 2004 } Aristide urges peaceful resistance to occupation At least 41 die in haiti rebellion Bush holds out for political settlement Bush presses aristide to quit { February 29 2004 } Drug dealer accuses aristide France calls for aristide to resign { February 26 2004 } France considers peace keepers for haiti French and us planes land in haiti capital Gangs rampage in haiti capital Haiti uprising spreads Haitian rebels moving towards capital IFES helped oust aristide colonize haiti { December 20 2004 } Marines arrive to guard haiti embassy Powell disappointed in haiti government { February 12 2004 } Un fails to evacuate staff from haiti Us pushes for regime change in haiti Us wont send haiti help { February 19 2004 } Whos who in hatian crisis Why france and us had to crush aristide { March 2 2004 } Files Listed: 24

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