Headlines:
| Missionaries could be tried in Haiti |
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| Friday, 05 February 2010 | |
 American Missionaries. The five men and five women were arrested a week ago after they tried to take 33 Haitian children out of the country following the earthquake. It is still not certain if they will be tried in Haiti. According to Joseph Guyler Delva, a BBC Caribbean Haiti reporter, the authorities may want to hold the trial in Haiti as a signal to the world that the government is back in charge. "Haitian authorities are saying that it's true the country is facing a very difficult situation but the state still exists, so people cannot come here and violate the law and take children away without consequences. At the same time, others are asking if Haiti can handle this situation at this time," Delva said. The missionaries have denied the charges saying they were just trying to help Haiti's orphans but on Thursday they were charged with child abduction. Haiti imposed new controls on the movement of children almost three weeks ago because of fears that orphans were particularly vulnerable to being abducted and sold for adoption. An American journalist said she met the group and warned them that they were taking a big risk as the people could regard them as traffickers but said they shrugged off her warning. The missionaries are expected to appear before the court in the next few days. Their lawyer is putting the blame on the group's leader. Attorney Edwin Cox said Laura Silsby knew the group could not remove the children without proper paper work. Focus on Haitian people - Bellerive He said the other nine missionaries have become unknowingly caught up in actions they did not understand. Jean-Max Bellerive, Prime Minister of Haiti said the trial was becoming a distraction as people were talking more about the 10 missionaries than the one million people suffering on the streets. (Source: The BBC Caribbean) |