[JURIST] Four advocacy groups on Thursday filed a petition [PDF text] with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) [official website] on behalf of Haitian citizens, alleging that the US violated Haitian sovereignty by illegally preventing the flow of financial assistance and military supplies into Haiti in an attempt to destabilize the regime of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide [BBC profile] and eventually kidnapping him on February 29, 2004. The petition also alleges that the Dominican Republic allowed insurgent forces to train in their country, and that the interim Haitian government has engaged in widespread repressive activities. As part of the petition, affidavits [text] were filed by the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic [clinic website] at Yale Law School, the TransAfrica Forum [press release], the Institute for Democracy and Justice in Haiti (IDJH) [speech transcript], and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux [IDJH profile] on behalf of Haitian citizens. US Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) also urged the IACHR [text] to investigate the coup d'etat in Haiti. The petition alleges violations of international law under several instruments, including the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the OAS Charter, and the Inter-American Democratic Charter. IndyBay has more.