Court Hearings for Americans in Haiti Continue

Five of a group of ten Americans charged with kidnapping children continued hearings before a Haitian judge yesterday. On Monday, the five appeared before a judge who can decide whether to release them or continue to hold them. 

 

The lawyer who represents the Americans demanded their release.  

 

[Aviol Fleurent, Lawyer]:

"Divine justice orders human justice to liberate those people."

 

Most of the detainees are in good health but one of them has a leg infection and requires immediate care. 

 

[Owen "Buddy" Shipp, Former Marine Medic]: 

"They are in pretty good health. We have one lady who has a very bad infection on her leg and so it's important that we get medicines to her everyday. It could be a life and death situation." 

 

The detained American missionaries, most of whom belong to an Idaho-based Baptist church, were charged on Thursday with child abduction and criminal association.

 

Haitian authorities say the missionaries tried to take a busload of 33 children across the border into the Dominican Republic. They had no legal papers proving the children were orphans or any official permission to take them out of the country. 

 

The missionaries have denied wrongdoing, saying they were only trying to help children left destitute by the quake. 

 

The U.S. government has made clear it does not want to interfere.