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Alert

New act of intimidation against examining judge in Jean Dominique case

(RSF/IFEX) - In a 28 December 2001 letter to Minister of Justice Gary Lissade, RSF expressed its grave concern after Judge Claudy Gassant, who is responsible for the investigation into the assasination of journalist Jean Dominique, was the victim of an act of intimidation by National Palace security agents. RSF urged the minister to take all measures necessary to ensure that the authors of the assault are called to order. A few days before the renewal of the examining judge's mandate (scheduled for 4 January 2002), RSF expressed its satisfaction with the work accomplished by the judge and explained that "to ensure efficiency, it is necessary that Judge Gassant continues to lead this case. Following this latest assault and considering the case's importance, we also ask you to study the possibility of appointing other magistrates to assist the judge in his examination of the case," explained Robert Ménard, the organisation's secretary-general. Ménard also recalled that the previous examining judge in the case had opted to resign following repeated pressure.


According to information collected by RSF, Judge Gassant, who is overseeing the investigation into journalist Dominique's assassination, was the victim of an act of intimidation by security agents at the National Palace (presidential palace) on 21 December. According to the judge, while he was sitting in a car behind another vehicle at the National Palace, the driver of the second vehicle deliberately backed up, crashed into the judge's car and pushed it over a distance of several metres. Police officers then came to the scene and aimed their rifles at the magistrate. They later explained that they were protecting a convoy of four National Palace vehicles that were returning from a special operation. The police officers eventually left the scene without apologising to the magistrate. RSF recalled that Police Superintendent Evens Saintune threatened the judge several times in May.

Judge Gassant's mandate is expected to be renewed on 4 January. According to the Criminal Code, examining judges are appointed for three-year renewable terms. Appointed three years ago, Judge Gassant has been leading the investigation into Dominique's assassination since September 2000. The previous judge responsible for the case had resigned after being the target of pressure.

On 3 April 2000, Dominique, Haiti's most renowned journalist and political analyst, was killed in the courtyard of his radio station, Radio Haiti Inter. He was the station's director. Jean-Claude Louissaint, the station's night watchman, was also killed in the attack. In his 19 October 1999 editorial, Dominique had sharply criticised Dany Toussaint, a Fanmi Lavalas member who has since been elected to the Senate. In August 2001, the examining judge in the case asked the Senate to lift Toussaint's parliamentary immunity, because of his assumed implication in the journalist's assassination. The Senate has yet to respond to the request.