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Alert

UN mission apologises for assault on photographer

(RSF/IFEX) - The UN stabilisation force in Haiti (Minustah) apologised on 8 November 2006 to the daily "Le Nouvelliste", whose photographer, François Louis, was assaulted five days earlier by UN peacekeeping troops during a demonstration at Martissant, in the suburbs of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

"The internal investigations we have carried out revealed that a police officer with Minustah did in fact assault the photographer, François Louis, in the Martissant district. The officer has had it noted in his file. Minustah regrets this incident, all the more so since we are in Haiti at the invitation of the Haitian government and we respect the right of journalists to work without any form of hindrance," said Jean-Jacques Simon, acting head of Minustah's communications and public information service, during a visit to "Le Nouvelliste".

The editor of the daily, Max Chauvet, accepted the UN mission's apologies.