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8 Americans in Haiti 'Orphan' Case Leave Jail

   VOA News 17 February 2010

   Eight  of  10  American  missionaries charged with child kidnapping in
   earthquake-ravaged  Haiti  have  been  freed from jail in the capital,
   Port-au-Prince, and driven to the airport.
   Judge  Bernard  Saint-Vil Wednesday issued the release order, and news
   reports say the group was allowed to leave Haiti unconditionally.
   But  the  judge  said the leader of the group of Baptist missionaries,
   Laura  Silsby,  and  another  woman,  Charisa Coulter, would remain in
   custody to face further questions about the alleged attempt to take 33
   children out of the country illegally.
   The latest development comes nearly three weeks after the 10 Americans
   were arrested.
   Whether  the  criminal  charges  originally  filed  against Silsby and
   Coulter  are still in effect was unclear late Wednesday.  Coulter, who
   suffers  from diabetes, was taken to a hospital for treatment earlier,
   but her condition was not known.
   The  missionaries  have said they were planning to set up an orphanage
   in  the neighboring Dominican Republic.  However, many of the children
   involved in the case are not orphans and have parents living in Haiti.
   The  10  Americans  were  charged  with child trafficking and criminal
   conspiracy, which could be punished by lengthy prison terms.
   Parents  of  some  of the 33 youngsters appeared in court earlier this
   month,   saying   they   willingly   offered  their  children  to  the
   missionaries.   The  parents  called  for  the  Americans  to be freed
   unconditionally.

   Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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