A church leader accused the military government Monday of undermining democratic reforms by ordering a wave of arrests, beatings and the exile of political opponents.
"They have made rubbish of the constitution," said Roman Catholic Bishop Willy Romelus on the church-run Radio Soleil. He encouraged his listeners, however, to keep up their spirits.Of Haiti's six main radio stations, only Radio Soleil, the Protestant Radio Lumiere and the state-run National Radio were broadcasting news Monday morning under a state of siege declared by military ruler Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril. Radio is the main source of news in the country.
In its toughest crackdown on the opposition since taking power in a September 1988 soldiers' revolt, the government arrested and forced into exile seven prominent political activists during the weekend. Dozens of others were arrested but were thought to have been released.
Port-au-Prince, the bustling capital of more than 1 million people, remained calm. Shops and schools opened as usual and traffic was normal.
Critics said the crackdown indicates Avril intends to renege on a promise to hold free elections in October.
At a news conference Sunday in Miami, newly exiled activist Hubert de Ronceray said Avril promised the elections only "to get help from foreign countries."
"There's no possibility of a democracy with Mr. Avril. He's a dictator," said the conservative leader.
Louis Roy, a prominent civic leader and an author of Haiti's 1987 constitution, "was carrying a small suitcase, kissed the ground two times and mounted the stairway to exile," a relative told The Associated Press.
Roy, 74, founder of the Haitian Red Cross, flew aboard a commercial flight to Miami. "I was hit in both ears and full in the face in front of the duty officer at the police headquarters," he said upon arrival.
The state of siege was declared after an army colonel, his wife and servants were killed Friday by unidentified gunmen just 100 yards from de Ronceray's home.
De Ronceray, deported Saturday, claimed he was the intended victim. Other opposition activists speculated Avril was using the killings as a pretext to derail the transition to democracy he promised after coming to power.
De Ronceray, 65, said that after his arrest he was kicked, clubbed with guns, and had a cigarette jammed in his eye. The eye was red as he spoke to reporters.
The other exiles were also beaten before they were deported, according to the activists and other sources.
The government offered no comment on those reports.
In Washington, the State Department condemned the state of siege and arrests and urged the Haitian government to reiterate its commitment to free elections. The United States suspended $60 million in aid to the impoverished country after Haiti's last attempt at democratic elections was thwarted by armed thugs aided by soldiers who massacred voters in 1987.
Max Bourjolly, second-in-command of the Haitian Communist party, was arrested at his home and exiled, apparently to France, said party leader Rene Theodore.
Family members and sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said the others exiled Sunday were Aby Brun of the center-left Congress for Democratic Movement, Sylvain Jolibois of the small radical Jean-Jacques Dessalines Group, and radical activists Michel Legros and Max Montreuil.