Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Haiti Senator Released From Jail After President Orders Arrest Sandra Lemaire WASHINGTON / MIRAGOANE / PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - Former Haitian opposition Senator Nenel Cassy was freed Friday, hours after he was arrested in Miragoane, a town on Haiti's west coast, on orders of President Jovenel Moise. Cassy, who represented former President Jean Bertrand Aristide's Lavalas party in parliament and is a native of the region, had traveled to Miragoane on Thursday to seek the release of political activists who had been arrested during an anti-government protest earlier in the day. They were charged with committing "flagrant delinquent acts" but were released with Cassy. "What happened yesterday is unfathomable; even under the Duvalier regime this was never done," the former senator said in recounting his ordeal for reporters during a press conference on Friday. "The attorney general arrived at the police station where lawyer Andre (Michel) and I were talking to the departmental director. Two policemen were present, and Andre was asking them to release the activists. When he (Jean Ernest Muscadin, the attorney general for Miragoane) arrived, he said, 'We're going to arrest the senator.' He said, 'The president of the republic has asked me to arrest Senator Cassy.' When I asked him, 'Which president? Jovenel?' He responded, "Yes, Jovenel said I must arrest you today,'" Cassy said. The former senator said when he asked Muscadin what he was to be charged with, he was told, "This is an order from the president." "He (the attorney general) told me tremendous pressure had been exerted by the president to make the arrest and he (Moise) threatened to fire him if he didn't do it," Cassy said. "'If I went against the order, I'd have to flee the country,' he told me." Cassy said the attorney general then handcuffed him. Muscadin, during an interview on a Haitian radio show, confirmed that Moise had asked him to arrest Cassy. No comment Moise has not commented on the arrest. But in a Jan. 18 speech, Moise warned his political opponents that the country's new intelligence agency was keeping watch and that any "vagabonds" found to be handing out money to encourage people to protest would face consequences. News of Cassy's arrest spread quickly on social media, sparking outrage from Haitians and the diaspora. VOA Creole reporters said they saw tires burning on some streets of the capital and that makeshift barricades were erected, including in front of the police station where Cassy was being held. Meanwhile, opposition politicians, who tend to disagree on most topics, rallied to support the senator, calling on Moise to rescind the arrest order. "Senator Nenel Cassy has just been arrested in Miragoane at the office of the director of the police department in accordance with an order from President Jovenel Moise," lawyer and opposition leader Andre Michel tweeted from Miragoane. "The battle for the respect of the constitution must be sped up. Unacceptable. Shut down the country." Le Sénateur Nenel Cassy vient d'être arrêté à Miragoane au bureau du Directeur départemental de la Police, conformément aux instructions du Président Jovenel Moise. La bataille pour le respect de la constitution doit prendre sa vitesse de croisière. Inacceptable!! Bloke peyi a . -- Me. André Michel (@avokapepla) [1]January 21, 2021 Senator Joseph Lambert, president of the Haitian Senate, expressed dismay. J'ai appris la désagréable nouvelle de l'arrestation du sénateur Nenel Cassy. Les autorités compétentes devraient évaluer l'opportunité d'un tel acte. La démocratie est trop fragile. Nous devons la préserver. -- Sénateur Joseph Lambert (@josephlambertHT) [2]January 21, 2021 "The competent authorities should evaluate this act. Democracy is too fragile. We must preserve it," he said. In a subsequent tweet, Senator Lambert said he asked the authorities to reevaluate Cassy's arrest. "The position of the Senate is clearly in favor of (respect for) individual freedoms. Haiti has chosen democracy," Lambert said. Le Président du Sénat donne acte aux autorités judiciaires qui ont réévalué l'arrestation du sénateur Nenel Cassy. La position du Sénat a été clairement signifiée en faveur de la liberté individuelle. Haïti a choisi la démocratie. -- Sénateur Joseph Lambert (@josephlambertHT) [3]January 22, 2021 Former Chamber of Deputies leader Deputy Gary Bodeau also took to Twitter to criticize the arrest of his former colleague. Priyorite Komisè gouvènman NiP la, se arete Kidnapè, mete lòd ak distribiye lajistis. Nou mande liberasyon prese prese ansyen Senatè [4]@Cassynenel . M pat dakò l sou makout ni sou Lavalas m pap dakò l sou [5]@moisejovenel -- Gary Bodeau ðð¹ (@garybodeau) [6]January 22, 2021 "The Nippes (department) attorney general should be arresting kidnappers and establishing law and order. We demand the immediate release of former Senator @Cassynenel. I was against (this type of arrest) under Duvalier, under Aristide's government and now under @moisejovenel," he tweeted. Opposition Senator Youri Latortue told reporters he alerted the ambassadors of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) and the OAS (Organization of American States) about the arrest and asked for their assistance. "Today on an international level, they recognize that human rights are being violated and in Haiti we have no choice but to unite and that's why we are together today to say no to dictatorship, no to these violations," Latortue said. "We can only achieve that (goal) if we stand together." References 1. https://twitter.com/avokapepla/status/1352366963977289734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 2. https://twitter.com/josephlambertHT/status/1352389113853440001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 3. https://twitter.com/josephlambertHT/status/1352441123822854151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 4. https://twitter.com/CassyNenel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 5. https://twitter.com/moisejovenel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw 6. https://twitter.com/garybodeau/status/1352413793079406594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw .