Eight missionaries who had been taken into custody in Haiti for allegedly trying to leave the country illegally with 33 Haitian children were released on their own recognizance. The group of missionaries was brought back from Port-au-Prince to Miami on an U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane. "It feels great for him to be back from Haiti," said an attorney who represents one of the missionaries. "It's great that the attention will return to where it should be back on the people of Haiti."
The missionaries were part of a larger group of ten missionaries who have been charged with kidnapping and criminal association for trying to remove 33 Haitian children from the country following the devastating earthquake that rocked the country. The missionaries have indicated that they were attempting to remove the children from the country to relocate them to a safe place. The missionaries also explained that they planned to set up an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Two of the missionaries Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter were not released. The judge indicated that they were being held while authorities investigate the reason the two missionaries visited Haiti prior to the earthquake.
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department expressed appreciation for how the Haiti court has handled the case so far and indicated respect for the ability of the Haitian court system to resolve the matter appropriately. "The United States Government respects the sovereign right of the Government of Haiti to conduct its own judicial processes. Haitian authorities have been cooperative in ensuring the individual's safety and welfare since their arrest and we have every expectation this will continue." One of the attorneys for the missionaries expressed optimism that the judge's decision to release the missionaries on their own recognizance may mean the charges will be dismissed soon.
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