Large crowds mark 1991 coup anniversary in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A crowd of supporters of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched through the capital on the anniversary of a 1991 military coup that ousted the country’s first democratically elected leader.

Supporters tried to march from the church where Aristide led services as a Catholic priest to his house. But police fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse them before they arrived at the home.

The march Tuesday marked the date that the military ousted Aristide less than a year into his first term as president. It also comes amid fears he will be arrested for failing to heed a court summons to testify in a corruption case.

An investigative judge issued an arrest warrant in August but police have declined to carry it out.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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