By Stephen Kopko
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A Haitian judge released eight of the ten American missionaries being held on charges of child kidnapping from jail today. They have been held for the last three weeks on the charges. The eight were released on bail and did not have to place bond. They were allowed to leave on their own word. Also, the judge ruled that they were free to leave the country. The other two missionaries, Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter were not released. The judge kept the two for further questioning.
The missionaries were accused of child kidnapping on January 29, 2010 when they tried to take Haitian children devastated by the earthquake across the border into the Dominican Republic. However, they did not have proper identification needed in order to take the children. Many of the missionaries believed that the children were orphans. Later, it was discovered that some of the children were not orphans but had parents. In the hope of providing better care for the children, many of the parents voluntarily gave their children to the missionaries.
The Haitian government thanked the U.S. for not interfering in the investigation. At the beginning of the investigation, the Haitian government promised to respect the rights of the missionaries and to conduct a thorough investigation. Haiti’s Secretary for Penal Affairs stated “I commend the U.S. government for not interfering with the ongoing judicial proceedings in Haiti about the Americans.”
Silsby and Coulter were not released by the Haitian judge. He wanted to question them about their trip to Haiti in December 2009. Silsby is considered the leader of the missionary group who claimed that they were helping the children of Haiti after the earthquake.
The missionaries were also apologetic about their relationship with Jorge Puello, a man wanted by the United States Marshall Service and Interpol. Puello is accused of child trafficking of young women into prostitution in El Salvador. He is also wanted in Vermont for smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. Puello provided food and medical assistance to the missionaries. He also acted as their legal advisor and spokesperson for a period of time after the missionaries were arrested.
For more information, please see:
CNN – 8 Americans Detained in Haiti Freed on Bail, 2 Others Remain – 17 February 2010
MSNBC – Haiti Frees Eight of the 10 Detained Americans – 17 February 2010
Reuters – Haitian Judge Frees Eight Americans, Holds Two – 17 February 2010
