Christian Volunteer Arrested in Haiti
Posted May 11th, 2012
Background
- Jim Allen is one of ten American Christian volunteers arrested January 29, 2010, in Haiti. His church group was there to help relief victim after the country’s devastating earthquake. Allen, a construction worker and small business owner from Amarillo, Texas, joined the team 48 hours before the group’s departure in an attempt to lend his construction knowledge to the rebuilding efforts.
Current Status
- Liberty Institute offered assistance in working to free Allen, and set up a website to help with his defense. Liberty partnered with volunteer attorney Louis Gary Lissade, former Haitian minister of justice, who filed a motion asking for Allen’s safe return to his family.
- Allen was released from jail on a judge’s order on Febuary 11, 2010.
Impact
- Without the help of Liberty Institute and Lissade, Allen could still be in a Haitian jail. In a statement after his release, Allen said, “My faith means everything to me, and I knew this moment would come when the truth was revealed.”