Page 6 - MIN JUS - MAY 19 , 2015

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WORLD NEWSTuesday 19 May 2015
Haiti grants appeal of abuse case against US man
DAVID McFADDEN
Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)
— Haitian justice authori-
ties are making plans for a
new criminal trial against a
U.S. citizen who has been
accused of physically and
sexually abusing boys in an
orphanage that he has run
for decades in the impov-
erished Caribbean country,
a top government official
and lawyers said Monday.
Cuba’s Elian Gonzalez, former castaway, wants to visit US
HAVANA (AP) — Elian Gon-
zalez, who spent months
with his Florida relatives
as a Cuban child at the
center of an international
custody dispute, said in an
interview broadcast Mon-
day that he’d like to return
to the United States for a
visit.
Now 21, Gonzalez told ABC
News in an interview that if
he could visit anywhere, it
would be the U.S.
Gonzalez thanked the
American people for the
love they showed him dur-
ing the custody battle 16
years ago, and said he
would like to go back “to
give my love to the Ameri-
can people.”
He said he’d like to see a
baseball game, visit Wash-
ington museums and talk
to Americans.
“I could personally thank
US agents kill suspected smuggler off British Virgin Islands
TORTOLA, British Virgin Is-
lands (AP) — A suspected
drug smuggler was shot
and killed by U.S. agents
during a chase off the Brit-
ish Virgin Islands, officials suspect, then boarded the
said Monday.
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection said its agents
were fired upon late Sun-
day night in the waters of
Michael Geilenfeld, an adults. trial in this case,” Casimir Mr. Geilenfeld’s interests.”
Iowa native and a former Justice Minister Pierre-Rich- said in a phone interview. He alleged that the gov-
member of Mother Tere- ard Casimir told The Associ- Manuel Jeanty, a lawyer ernment’s decision to grant
sa’s Missionaries of Charity ated Press that an appeal for the accusers, said he the appeal was made “un-
group, opened the St. Jo- filed by lawyers for the al- and his clients were not der pressure,” adding that
seph’s Home for Boys in the leged victims, allowing the notified about the recent “what they are doing is not
Haitian capital in 1985. case to be re-examined, trial beforehand, but hope illegal but it’s very unusual.”
He was arrested in Septem- has been granted. they “will see justice” in Hai- Geilenfeld’s lawyers blame
ber, Without disclosing specifics, ti now that an appeal has an email and blog cam-
but freed last month when he said Monday the pros- been granted. paign by U.S. activist Paul
a Haitian judge dismissed ecutor “didn’t do the case Defense lawyer Alain Lem- Kendrick of Freeport,
the case following a brief correctly” and has since ithe said he and other attor- Maine for their client’s ar-
trial that was not attended been sanctioned. neys are prepared to “go rest, and for the granting of
by the five accusers, now “There should be another back to court to defend the appeal.q

Elian Gonzalez attends a ceremony at the National Assembly those people who helped ing to an inner tube and
us, who were there by our was rescued on the high
in Havana, Cuba. Gonzalez said during an ABC News interview side. Because we’re so sea, eventually ending up
grateful for what they did.” with Florida relatives who
that aired Monday, May 18, 2015, that if he could visit any- ABC’s images of Gonza- fought to keep him in the
lez captured over several United States.
where, it would be the United States so he could “give my love days showed him first with a “I was alone in the middle
beard, then clean-shaven. of the sea, that’s the last
to (the) American people.” Gonzalez is a local celeb- thing I remember,” Gon-
rity on the island and was zalez said. He said he was
(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) a military cadet when he moved by his mother’s ef-
was in his late teens. He is forts to keep him afloat
now studying industrial en- while he drowned.
gineering at the university “She fought until the very
in the Cuban province of last minute to keep me
Matanzas, west of the cap- alive,” he said.
ital. The tug-of-war between
According to the interview, Gonzalez’s U.S. relatives
he recently became en- and his father ensued, with
gaged to be married. then-president Fidel Castro
He was just a few weeks shy siding with the boy’s surviv-
of 6 when his mother, Eliza- ing parent Juan Gonza-
beth Brotons, died at sea lez and the Miami-based
in 1999 while trying to take Cuban exile community
him to the U.S. backing family members in
Gonazlez survived by cling- Florida.q

the British Caribbean terri- hospital, according to the of the suspects or to pro- Puerto Rico, under a bilat-
tory as they chased a boat statement. Two other sus- vide other details, citing an eral agreement between
suspected of being used to pects were taken into cus- ongoing investigation. The the two countries. This part
transport drugs. The agents tody by the Royal Virgin Royal British Virgin Islands of the northeastern Ca-
returned fire, wounding the Islands Police Force. They Police Force also declined ribbean has seen a resur-
also seized the boat and to provide information be- gence of drug smuggling
vessel and provided medi- 30 bales of what is believed yond a brief statement in recent years as drug traf-
cal care, the agency said to be cocaine.A U.S. Cus- confirming the incident. ficking organizations seek
in a terse statement. toms and Border Protec- U.S. anti-drug patrols can to bypass the traditional
The suspect was later pro- tion spokesman declined enter the waters of the Brit- route through Mexico to
nounced dead at a local to provide the nationalities ish Virgin Islands, east of reach the United States.q