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Haiti
The conditions under which journalism is practiced have deteriorated because
of attacks, harassment and threats against independent journalists, the closure
of some radio programs and a station and physical assaults on reporters, several
of whom have fled the country.
The main pressures against the press come from government officials and political
groups within pro-government and military organizations. President Jean Bertrand
Aristide has reiterated that he respects press freedom, but in practice does
not.
During the past year, the Association of Haitian Journalists has compiled reports
of 90 attacks against independent journalists, most of them by members of groups
linked to the government, the official Lavalas Family party and paramilitary
groups, which say publicly they do not tolerate press freedom.
Joseph Guyler Delva, general secretary of the journalists’ association,
has been the target of serious attacks by groups who consider him an opponent
of the government.
At the end of last October, three journalists from the capital, Port-au-Prince,
and three from the interior received death threats from representatives of pro-government
groups who accused them of answering to the opposition. The journalists modified
their work so the threats would not lead to actions against them.
In November, seven journalists from Gonaives province were forced to leave the
city after being harassed by armed groups of the so-called Cannibal Army of
Amiot Métayer, an associate of President Aristide, who is a fugitive.
The Métayer group used backhoes to destroy a prison in August of 2000
to free their leader. Métayer issued death threats to the seven journalists
from Gonaives, calling them opponents of the government. In November, Delva
helped them move to Port-au-Prince where they are in hiding because they fear
reprisals.
In December, two journalists, including one who works for the government television
station, were attacked by opposition activists as they covered an anti-government
street demonstration.
Métayer spoke on a radio program threatening the news director of Radio
Métropole and warning him that he should stop talking about Métayer’s
escape from prison.
At the beginning of February, unidentified gunmen entered the studios of Radio
Chekina outside Port-au-Prince and roughly beat the director Manés Blanc,
who was hospitalized. The attackers said they beat him because of political
commentaries he had made. The government said it did not consider the act a
violation of press freedom.
On February 14, government supporters attacked the home of Jean-Numa Goudou
of Radio Métropole and tried to burn it. On February 18, Radio Métropole
suspended its broadcasts for one day to protest attacks on its journalists by
government supporters.
On February 16, armed men shot at the house of the mother of journalist Nancy
Roc, threw bottles at it and shouted insults. Both Roc and Goudou had covered
a protest called “weekend of hope” for Radio Métropole, and
Roc made a speech there about the Haitian press’s work for democracy.
On February 18, four journalists, Jean-Robert François of Radio Métropole,
Henry Fleurimond of Radio Quisqueya, Jeniton Guerino and Gedéon Presendien
of Radio Etincelles, sought refuge in the Dominican Republic. The four are among
the seven reporters threatened in Gonaives by Métayer’s group.
On February 22, Michel Montas, news director of Radio Haiti Inter and widow
of journalist Jean Dominique, who reportedly was killed by government supporters
April 3, 2000, closed the station because of “constant threats and obvious
dangers” to her journalists. Montas said “we have already lost three
lives and we refuse to lose more.” She was referring to Dominique, his
bodyguard, Jean Claude Luoissain, and her bodyguard, Maxime Séide, who
was killed December 25. “That is why we are making this painful decision
to close,” she said. “We hope it will be temporary.” Montas
said she received continuous telephone threats, pressures from unknown people
who park in vehicles without license planes in front of the station, and other
acts.
The murders of journalists Jean Léopold Dominique, Gérard Denoze
and Brignol Dindor are still unsolved. The Dominique case is in court and the
defendants have been identified.
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