访谈录 2010-02-05&2010-02-08 美国传教士诱拐海地儿童

A judge in Haiti filed charges today against all ten of the American missionaries 1, who tried to take almost three dozen Haitian children out of that country. The suspects, including a young 18-year-old girl, say the kids were orphans 2 and that they were trying to rescue them. But they didn't have permission, didn't have proper documents and since the arrest, a number of Haitians have stepped forward claiming to be the parents of those kids. And now the judge has charged the

Baptist missionaries with kidnapping and criminal association, in essence, conspiracy 3.

Jonathan Hunt joins us from our newsroom in New York. Jonathan there was a moment of hope today, when the prosecutor 4 first said that they might free, all but one in the group. But the judge makes the decisions here."

"Well, yeah, this we know, this was actually came from a lawyer representing the group who was based in the Dominican Republic. He told the Associated Press, as the court proceedings 5 were wrapping up in Haiti, that he believed that prosecutor was about to free nine of the ten and just hold the leader of the group. Laura Silsby, the Associated Press, published that report, turned out it wasn't true, minutes later the proceedings wrapped up with the prosecutor formally charging all ten of them with kidnapping, sending them back, Shepard (主持人名字), to the jail where they have been since Friday and that's where they'll stay.

So what happens to the next, Jonathan?

Well, now it goes to what is called in the Haitians' legal system, an investigating judge, he has the power to free them or the power to put them on trial. And we're hearing late tonight that he is unlikely to make a decision for as much as three months, so there is every possibility they could be languishing 6 in that Haitian jail where conditions are very poor indeed for up to three months. The State Department by the way says it is working looking at other legal avenues whatever that may mean, Shepard.

You know, in many ways this case has overshadowed the larger problems in Haiti. What's the latest with the aid efforts there?

Well, the aid effort is picking up but it is still a logistical nightmare getting the much needed food and medical supplies to the millions of Haitians who need them. Former President Bill Clinton will make his second visit to Haiti tomorrow to try to publicize the aid effort and keep the international effort going as best he can. But clearly, the Haitian prime minister himself is annoyed that this whole American missionary 7 story has become a distraction 8 as he put it when the real suffering is going on still on the streets of Haiti in Port-au-Prince in particular, Shepard.

Jonathan Hunt on the Baptists held in Haiti tonight. Jonathan thank you.