Jean Dominique Affair : SOS Journalists Condemns Denial of Justice

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti- SOS Journalistes considers scandalous the denial of justice observed in the handling of the case of the assassination, on April 3, 2000, of the journalist and political commentator, Jean Léopold Dominique.

The Jean Dominique case has been blocked at the Court of Cassation for more than 14 years; and it is high time that the judges of the Court fully assume their responsibilities so that justice can finally be done in the case of the double assassination of Jean Dominique and his guardian Jean-Claude Louissaint.

Indeed, before being sent to the Court of Cassation upon appeal by one of the accused persons, the order of judge Yvickel Dabrézil was presented to the Court of Appeal on January 17, 2014.

The former senator, Mirlande Liberus-Pavert, and eight other people charged in the assassination, had rejected all possible compositions at the Court of Appeal of the capital as part of delaying tactics, arguing that the the case should be transferred to another Court of Appeal, outside Port-au-Prince.

And since then, more than 14 years later, the Court of Cassation which, in the meantime had been rendered dysfunctional, has still not managed to rule on Ms. Pavert's request to entrust the case to a provincial Court of Appeal .

SOS Journalists believes that the denial of justice has lasted too long and calls on the judges of the Court of Cassation to meet to urgently rule on the case which has been lying in the drawers of the Haitian justice system for 24 long years.

Impunity constitutes one of the main sources of ills and misfortunes of the Haitian people, who have suffered too much from it.

SOS Journalistes calls on all journalists and all sectors of the society to join their efforts in order to put an end to the macabre reign of impunity in Haiti.

Port-au-Prince, April 3, 2024

Joseph Guyler C. Delva

General secretary

SOS Journalists

For authentication:

+509 3445 3535

delvahaiti@gmail.com