FOR JACQUES

We have just learned the death of our friend, poet, and companion of struggle, journalist and Haitian citizen savagely assassinated by the mercenaries of former president Aristide.

Aïbobo Jacques!
Your death will not remain unpunished.

Today we say a sound no to the assassins.
We say no to the rapists.
We say no to those murderers disguised in the robe of Lavalas priest, formers lavalas deputies, in Lavalas senators, in former Lavalas ministers.

We say no to these assassins disguised as a Florida lawyer, as American congressmen, as American lobbyists.

We say No to all those who have murdered you Jacques Roche.

The Haitian people need to know that these people are cowards.
The Haitian people need to know who they really are.

We sent Aristide away; justice will hunt down all those who are still doing his dirty deeds here at home.
Justice will hunt down all the accomplices making believe they are pro democracy while they continue to make money from drug trafficking, kidnapping and dirty business.

Justice will pursue the assassins strangling the poor in the slums of Belair, Cité soleil and Village Dieu.

They want us to believe that they are fighters.
It's a lie !
They are just plain killers.

They want us to believe that they are political activists.
It's a lie.
They are terrorists.

They want us to believe that they are bold.
It's a lie
They are just cowards.

Cowards because they are attacking women, children, school teachers, Because they are killing journalists, doctors and defenseless people.

You can tell the guy who is giving you daily orders from where he is in South Africa, we will hunt him down too.
The files on him and his accomplices are piling up.

You are chanting that you want him back?
We do too.

Because we will bring him to justice.

The former priest always wanted us to believe that he was defending the poor. Now we know he was defending his own pockets.

The former priest always had a mouthfull of beautiful words; About the poor, about dignity, about progress.

The only poor people he knew was his family Today they are all very rich.

The only dignity he was interested in were his own personal bourgeois ambitions

The only progress he knew was the progression of his wealth

Today we say enough.
Today we say thieves, murderers and terrorists will no longer get away,
Justice will prevail.

Jacques Roche
We will not forget you
We will not forget all those victims of the Lavalas regime.

Raoul Peck
Port-au-Prince 14/07/05

Text delivered on July 14 2005 to AlterPresse by haitian filmmaker, and former Minister of Culture of the Republic of Haiti, Raoul Peck