CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


Haitian gets 13 years in prison

for link to Chicago terror plot


MIAMI The Haitian-born
ringleader of a group accused
of plotting terror attacks on
Chicago's Sears Tower and
Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) offices
has been sentenced to 13
years in prison.
 Untied States District
Judge Joan Lenard imposed
the sentence on Narseal
Batiste, 35, who prosecutors
said had hoped to spark an
anti-government insurrection
by seeking support from al-
Queda for his alleged terror-
ism plans.
 "You've done great harm
to yourself, your family, the
young men who were your fol-
lowers, and you've violated
the trust of your country,"
Judge Lenard said.
 Batiste, who had faced a
maximum of 70 years in
prison, was convicted in May
of conspiracy to provide mate-
rial support to al-Queda, plot-
ting to blow up buildings and
conspiracy to wage war
against the U.S. Four other
Haitian men, described as
Batiste's soldiers in his para-
military group, were also con-
victed and sentenced to
between six and 10 years in
jail.

CULMINATION
 The sentencing last month
marked the culmination of a


case that began with an FBI
raid in June 2006 on the
group's warehouse, known as
the "Embassy", in Miami's
impoverished Liberty City
neighborhood. Top U.S. offi-
cials acknowledged at the time
that the 100-storey skyscraper,
Sears Tower, and FBI plots
never got past the discussion
stage and that the group never
acquired the means to carry
out such audacious attacks.
 But prosecutors said the
case was a prime example of
the post Sept. 11, 2001 strate-
gy of stopping terror plots in
the earliest possible stages
before they ignite.
 There were two previous
mistrials in the case, and two
men were acquitted before
prosecutors finally won the
case. Batiste testified at all
three trials that he never
aspired to be a terrorist and
only went along in hopes of
scamming the FBI informant
out of $50,000.
 At the sentencing hearing
on Nov. 20, he apologized to
his family and the young men
who became his followers,
blaming his .rrogIJk1L and
pride" for leading him down
the wrong road.
 "I wanted respect," he
said. "I wanted to be this per-
son that I really wasn't. I've
never been a violent person."
0


NEW YORK Several mem-
bers of the New York
Congressional delegation last
month continued the call for
comprehensive immigration
reform.
 At a pre-Thanksgiving
event that recognized New
York's immigrant history, sev-
eral congressional lawmakers
admitted the need for immedi-
ate progress on immigration
reform legislation.
 Representative Yvette
Clarke, the daughter of
Jamaican immigrant parents,
told the audience that the cur-
rent set of immigration laws
must change now.
 "Our immigration laws
are inconsistent and inefficient
and place an undue burden on


native-born Americans, docu-
mented immigrants and
undocumented immigrants
alike," said Clarke. "This sys-
tem is ineffective and unsus-
tainable. We must never for-
get that this
debate is criti-
cal to improv-
ing the lives of
all American
citizens,
American
businesses,
and the lives
of those who Rangel
seek to be
Americans."
 N, w Yorkers stand
proudly with the majority of
Americans in their support of
comprehensive immigration


r6ww -arbbentda.com


I


reform," said U.S.
Representative Charles B.
Rangel. "Too many families
are being kept apart by the
hypocrisy of a system that
encourages people to come
and work, then tries to crimi-
nalize them when they want to
stay. We have an obligation a
moral obligation to see that
these laws are changed."
 The event was co-hosted
by the American Jewish
Committee, the New York
Immigration Coalition and the
New York Interfaith Network
for Immigration Reform at the
New York Historical Society.


- CaribWorldNews
0


Wyclef Jean receives

Kennedy 'Hope' award


NEW YORK, N.Y. Grammy
Award-winning Haitian
singer, songwriter and produc-
er Wyclef Jean has earned
more recognition for his con-
tribution to human rights.
 Jean, along with Bono of
musical group U2, was pre-
sented with Ripple of Hope
Award at Cli 1,,., Pier in New
York City last month by The
Robert E Kennedy Center for
Justice and Human Rights.
 The Haitian ambassador
at large was honored for his
work to strengthen and
inspire change in his native
country of Haiti through his
Y1le Haiti organization.
 "As champions of justice,
Bono and Wyclef have brought
the national spotlight to human
rights violations, empowered
local activists, and transformed
the lives of millions of people
living in poverty from Port-Au-
Prince to Darfur," said Kerry
Kennedy, founder of the RFK
Center. "Their efforts evoke
the spirit of my father and we
are honored to recognize
them."


 File photograph
U2's Bono, left, and Wyclef Jean per-
forming together.
 Jean also performed at
the ceremony. The award
came on the heels of several
other human rights awards
presented to the singer this
year, including by ASCAP
and BET in June 2009.
 The RFK Center is a non-
profit organization dedicated
to advancing the human rights
movement through innovative
support to human rights
defenders around the world.

- CaribWorldNews
0


Holi days


www.AirJamaica.com


December 2009


 Key Congressional leaders in New York

call for U.S. action on immigration reform