PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – Ten American Christians charged with child abduction and criminal conspiracy faced lengthy jail times in a Haitian prison Friday after trying to take 33 children out of the country.
The country's Justice Minister Paul Denis insisted the 10 should be brought before Haitian courts, instead of being returned to the United States.
"It is Haitian law that has been violated," Justice Minister Paul Denis told AFP. "It is up to the Haitian authorities to hear and judge the case. I don't see any reason why they should be tried in the United States."
The group were formally charged with "kidnapping minors and criminal association" on Thursday, their lawyer Edwin Coq said.
If convicted, they face up to nine years in prison on child kidnapping charges and further jail time for conspiracy.
US State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said Washington was aware that the group had been kept in custody in Haiti.
"We can confirm that the 10 American citizens remain in custody in Haiti. We continue to provide appropriate consular assistance and to monitor developments in the legal case."
The group of five men and five women from an Idaho-based charity were detained a week ago after trying to drive a busload of 33 children over the border into the Dominican Republic.
They have denied any ill intentions, saying they were merely trying to help children orphaned and abandoned by the January 12 quake.
But amid continued chaos in the Haitian capital, questions remained about whether the group would face a fair trial.
The head of the Port-au-Prince lawyers' association, Gervais Charles, said any trial would be impossible in the country any time soon.
"It is absolutely impossible to carry out the trial for the Americans in Haiti right now. Judicial proceedings have not officially restarted in Port-au-Prince," he said.
"Everyone who is accused should have the right to a hearing within a reasonable period. I don't see how the Haitian judicial system could guarantee that, especially in such a complex case."
Prosecution sources said they could now face a long wait for a trial, as prosecutors have three months under Haitian law to draw up their case.
Earlier, government prosecutor Mazan Fortil said it remained unclear whether the 10 could be tried in the Haiti.
"We cannot say right now. We have to apply Haitian law. The case will be sent before a judicial panel, to open the investigation," he said.
US ambassador Kenneth Merten told journalists talks were underway with the Haitian government.
"Right now, I think we know that they have been having access to our consular affairs officers and to the best of my knowledge, they are being treated according to Haitian laws," he said.
"We're in the process of talking with the Haitian government. What we like to do is to make sure they are being treated according to the law."
But with tens of thousands of children still homeless on the streets of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian government is under pressure to clamp down on any potential abuse.Related article:Haiti child quake victims in danger
After their hearing on Thursday, the 10 were ushered out of the prosecutor's office, visibly deflated by what they had heard.
They sat inside a jeep to be returned to custody, lowering their heads in prayer and singing, with their eyes closed tight.
One Haitian man, aged about 40, banged on a window of the truck and hurled insults, saying "they are criminals" in broken English.
During their transfer back into police custody, some attempted to conceal their faces from the scrum of photographers awaiting them with a black jacket, but to no avail.
They were met by a hail of stones from an angry Haitian journalist.
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