Aristide’s presence in Haiti

After being forced twice to leave his country and go into exile, Jean-Bertrand Aristide went back to Haiti not sure about what political climate he would have to deal with. The former priest was pressured by American officials in 2004 to move from the country. Before his departure, Aristide was the first democratically elected president of Haiti.

Aristide’s presence in Haiti

The almost-president spent seven years without being allowed to return home. Once the news had spread that he would return, journalists and supporters went to the airport to welcome Aristide. As he got into the car that transported him, the activists followed the leader on the streets and blocked the roads because of the amount of people.

When Aristide spoke, he didn’t mention any specific presidential candidates, but talked about the election’s process. “The exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas [his political party] is the exclusion of the Haitian people. In 1804, the Haitian revolution marked the end of slavery. Today, may the Haitian people end exiles and coup d’états, while peacefully moving from social exclusion to inclusion”, he said.

Injustice from the Haitian penal system

Another important character for the Haitian community is Missionary Daniel Pye, who was arrested, without any apparent reason, in 2010. The missionary has already been released, but his time spent in prison was under terrible conditions, such as over capacity cells.

Now Daniel is back at the US, but he chose Haiti to be his home and lived at the country for over eight years. At the time he was arrested, his wife was pregnant from his second child. The first one is still young. The missionary worked at an orphanage and distributed necessities to the community in need.