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Report:Haiti Judge to Release Idaho Missionaries

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 06:32:20 PM EST
Tags: Haiti (all tags)
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Good news for the 10 jailed Americans in Haiti, suspected of child trafficking for trying to remove Haitian children to the U.S. The Judge reportedly has decided to release them, as early as tomorrow:

"One thing an investigating judge seeks in a criminal investigation is criminal intentions on the part of the people involved and there is nothing that shows that criminal intention on the part of the Americans," the [judicial]source said.

Haitian jails have always been miserable places. I hope this report is correct.

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    Report:Haiti Judge to Release Idaho Missionaries | 7 comments (7 topical)

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    While I'm sure that (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by Zorba on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 07:26:52 PM EST
    these people had the "best of intentions," and I know that Haitian jails are awful, I can't help but think of the families of these children.  Were the children truly given up "forever", with full knowledge of the families that they would not get these kids back?  I don't think that jail is the answer for these would-be do-gooders, but I do think that there should be some kind of repercussions.  The idea that these kids would be better off in American "Christian" homes, rather than being raised by their relatives in Haiti, in undesirable conditions, is a tempting one, I'm sure, but is this truly the best for the kids?  I wish that these Christian groups would spend as much time and money and effort to improve the living conditions of the Haitians, so that they and their children could have a better life, rather than assuming that all is "good" if they can spirit these kids away from their homes.  But that's just my two cents.

    There was no best intentions. (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by msaroff on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 11:28:58 PM EST
    We have a report that this was at least the 2nd time they tried to abduct Haitian kids.

    While I do not think that money is involved, it is pretty clear that they are attempting to save souls by taking Catholic kids who were never properly verified were orphans so as to raise them as Evangelical, because they believe that Catholics are going to hell.

    If they are getting off here, it's not because of "lack of criminal intent," which still needs to be adjudicated, but rather that they are getting off because they are white Americans.

    Obviously a trial in Haiti might be problematic right now, but some sort of judicial fact finding should be conducted.

    Parent

    good, I hope they are released (none / 0) (#2)
    by Jen M on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 07:39:41 PM EST
    and I hope they had some sense scared into them.

    This case gives me the creeps (none / 0) (#3)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 07:44:58 PM EST
    for a reason I haven't seen mentioned.  This "missionary" group is Baptist, right?  The kids' families in Haiti are likely Catholic, right?  Is saving them from a "false" religion a factor in this extra-legal, unregulated "adoption" plan?

    I wouldn't be at all surprised, Peter (none / 0) (#4)
    by Zorba on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 08:05:24 PM EST
    That hasn't been mentioned, but I'm sure that was a "concern" of these Baptists.  That, and the fact that many, many Haitians, even while identifying as Catholics, practice what Westerners call "Voodoo" (Vodou).

    Parent
    I'd prefer to think (none / 0) (#5)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 08:19:03 PM EST
    of the better angels of their nature. They were in a devastated city in a devastated country, and thought their way was the best way to help.


    Parent
    I prefer that thought too, Jeff (none / 0) (#6)
    by Peter G on Wed Feb 10, 2010 at 09:18:54 PM EST
    and I will try to stay with your theory until proven otherwise.  Did they really collect those kids from the city, though?  I thought I had read the children came from a poor village that was not hit by the earthquake, not from Port-au-Prince as the group's leader had originally claimed.

    Parent
    Report:Haiti Judge to Release Idaho Missionaries | 7 comments (7 topical)

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