Yves Engler, a member of Haiti Action Montreal and a frequent contributor to rabble.ca, is being kept in jail overthe weekend after he disrupted a speech by the Prime Minister Thursdaymorning shouting “Paul Martin lies, Haitians die.”

Crown prosecutors refused to grant his release when Engler appeared in courtFriday, 30 hours after being detained. He will be in court again Monday.

“Keeping someone in jail for at least four days because he heckled apolitician during an election campaign is completely outrageous,” saidNikolas Barry-Shaw, spokesperson for Haiti Action Montreal. “Has shouting ata politician become a crime in Canada?”

Noting that other people heckled Martin at the same time as Engler and thatthe PM has faced hecklers at many events, Barry-Shaw speculated the Liberalgovernment is particularly sensitive about criticism of its policies inHaiti.

“Yves Engler has been extremely active in trying to make the Liberalsaccountable for their role in the overthrow of Haiti’s elected governmentand the resulting human rights disaster,” said Barry-Shaw. “He’s obviouslymade some important people very angry.”

Engler, who also threw confetti-sized pieces of a human rights report about Haiti into theair to symbolize the Liberal government’s response to criticism fromnumerous respected organizations, said he was surprised by amount of time hewas spending in jail.

“It’s a strange world when Conrad Black is accused of stealing $80 millionbut has spent no time behind bars, while I heckled the Prime Minister andget locked up for at least four days.”