President Jean-Bertrand Aristide Army General Raoul CédrasArmy Chief of Staff Philippe BiambyChief of the National Police, Michel François The 1991 Haitian coup d'état took place on 29 September 1991, when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, elected eight months earlier in the 1990–91 Haitian general election, was deposed by the Armed Forces of Haiti.

[5] Aristide, a populist Roman Catholic priest, was the most controversial candidate of his party, the National Front for Change and Democracy (FCND).

Aristide's political platform threatened the power of some of the Haitian elite, specifically those who supported the Duvalier family dictatorship.

[9] After large numbers of Aristide supporters filled the streets in protest and Lafontant attempted to declare martial law, the Army crushed the incipient coup.

[8] Cédras announced his victory at 11 p.m., on 29 September, via a televised broadcast, saying, "Today, the armed forces find themselves obligated to assume the heavy responsibility to keep the ship of state afloat.

[citation needed] During the Aristide government the military's reputation in regard to human rights began to improve, however this was quickly reversed after the coup.

[8] The military targeted pro-Aristide elected officials, as well as rural development and peasant organizations, neighborhood and community associations, and trade unions.

Peasants made up a large part of Aristide's voter base, and thus were subject to military violence, including the destruction of food-storage silos and the killing of livestock.

[18] The military regime reduced freedom of the press by silencing radio stations, the most important news medium in the country.

[20] Given the direct correlation between the refugee crisis and an uptick in political violence in Haiti, it is clear that the Bush administration's claim failed to encompass the whole situation.

[22] After declaring its intention to close the Guantanamo camp, the US began to return Haitians immediately after their interception, without allowing them to apply for asylum.

[25] Sanctions were suspended following the appointment of a Prime Minister chosen by Aristide, but reimposed in October 1993 following accusations of renewed human rights violations by the military regime.

[26] Initially, the Bush administration followed the international community in denouncing the military coup, calling for a restoration of democracy and the reinstatement of Aristide.

[27] The administration's willingness to compromise with the military junta was perceived as U.S. government support of Cédras, and sparked a number of protests by Haitian-Americans.

The Dominican Republic, which supported the Haitian military regime, sought to stem the flow of over 30,000 refugees with an increased police and army presence on the border.

[22] Following Aristide's return in November 1994, a number of Caribbean states introduced programs for the repatriation of Haitians living in their countries.

Both, in addition to Francois, were convicted for their roles in the Raboteau Massacre and received the mandatory sentence of forced labor for life.

"[citation needed] An internal 1993 US Congress memo stated that "all those jailed for drug-trafficking have been released and... Michel François has personally supervised the landing of planes carrying drugs and weapons."

Francois was arrested in Honduras in 1997 and held on drug charges for several months, but released after a US extradition request was denied.