8313: Organization condemns judge's resignation; demonstration backs senator (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <maxblanchet@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Organization condemns judge's resignation; demonstration backs
senator
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jun 15, 2001

[Unidentified announcer] The resignation [of Examining Judge Claudy Gassant]
has been generating a lot of reaction around the country ever since it was
submitted yesterday afternoon. The head of the JPP [Youth for People's
Power], Rene Civil, who is close to the government, favours putting the
judiciary into action in order to arrest Judge Claudy Gassant. Rene Civil
believes that Judge Gassant should wait until the investigation of the
murders of Jean Leopold Dominique and Radio Haiti Inter caretaker
Jean-Claude Louissaint [Dominique, the owner and general manager of Radio
Haiti Inter; and Louissaint, were killed on 3 April 2000] comes to an end
before resigning from his position as examining judge. Here is Rene Civil at
the microphone of Carl Dieudonne:

[Civil - recording, in Creole] For the Youth for People's Power we welcome
[break in reception] count on the responsibility of the Haitian leaders. It
is completely impossible, completely inadmissible, for Judge Claudy Gassant
to resign. We ask the Haitian government and the Haitian judiciary to
proceed immediately to arrest Judge Claudy Gassant so that he can explain
before the law why he resigned. If Judge Claudy Gassant is not part of a
plot, if Judge Claudy Gassant is not a wrongdoer in the investigation of the
Dominique murder, then he cannot resign. Because we have learnt from
reliable sources that he has been provided with all the material, weapons,
vehicles and sophisticated equipment to carry out the investigation. Simply
put, if he does not wish to continue the investigation, we ask that the case
be passed on to a fair judge who is not politicized and who does not intend
to make the innocent pay for the guilty. [End of recording]

[Announcer] A demonstration was held yesterday in support of Senator Dany
Toussaint. It was led by (?Koul) Soldiers, an organization that supports the
senator from the West [Department]. The organization demonstrated yesterday
its solidarity with those who were elected on 21 May within the framework of
this case. The organization believes that the judiciary is taking the wrong
direction and asks judicial officials to act quickly to identify the real
culprits in the Jean Leopold Dominique - Jean-Claude Louissaint murder. Here
is an excerpt from their statements:

[Unidentified speaker - recording, in Creole] We in the solidarity committee
with Dany Toussaint, all soldiers, we cannot remain with our arms folded,
our mouths shut, before this tragedy the country is experiencing with the
death of Radio Haiti Inter Director General Jean Leopold Dominique together
with his caretaker Jean-Claude Louissaint. We tell the judiciary he is
innocent and they must find the real culprits in these crimes, so that
innocent people will no longer be taken for guilty... We shall continue to
demand justice for all victims of the 30 September 1991 coup d'etat. Yes, we
shall continue to demand justice for Jean Dominique... Democracy cannot work
against justice.

Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in French 1130 gmt 14 Jun 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.