Your editorial, “Americans bound for Haitian border” (June 23), implies that the sanctions against Haiti are legitimate. I read this on my return flight of my ninth humanitarian aid trip into Haiti since October 1991.
The international sanctions against Haiti are illegal since the problem is a matter of internal politics. There are no international abuses being committed by the Haitian military.
The highest number of murders against Haitians by the military is estimated by Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s supporters at 4,000. Even if true, it does not justify the tens of thousands of casualties caused by the U.S.-instigated sanctions against the innocent civilians of Haiti.
The civilian population is unarmed and defenseless against the military and it is terrified of the thought of acting against the military. Therefore, if the intent of these civilian-starving sanctions are for promoting rebellion against the military, the people are doomed to starve to death.
There is no quick fix for the political and economic woes of Haiti. But we as U.S. citizens must protest the actions of this administration on behalf of Aristide. The embargo is genocidal and is the greatest motivator for Haitians to seek asylum in the U.S.
