A Military Coup

Democratically-elected President Jean Bertrand Aristede is ousted in a coup and taken by force from his country by U.S. and French military operatives. On February 25, 2004, the U.S. lawyer representing the government of Haiti claimed that the rebellion was supported by the United States and led by a former death squad member; he said, "This is clearly a military operation, and it's a military coup."Aristede was the first elected president in Haiti's 200-year history.