13143: Edouard-News- JOURNALISTS' LEADER CALLS FOR HALT TO THREATS (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Felix Edouard <loveayiti@hotmail.com>

Source: Signal FM Radio, Port-au-Prince, in Creole 1230 gmt 10 Sep 02

BBC Monitoring

HEADLINE: HAITI: JOURNALISTS' LEADER CALLS FOR HALT TO THREATS TO, ATTACKS
ON JOURNALISTS

The Association of Haitian Journalists AJH has condemned the behaviour of
many members of people's organizations OP who are close to the Lavalas
government and who have not stopped threatening journalists who are trying
to work in Gonaives.

The AJH confirms that these OP members are putting severe pressure on
journalists Jean-Robert Francois, correspondent for Radio Metropole, and
Henry Fleurimond, correspondent for Radio Kiskeya. AJH Secretary-General
Guyler C. Delva has called on the police and the justice department to take
the necessary measures to guarantee the security of the journalists,
especially these two colleagues, who have been obliged to go into hiding.
Let us listen to Delva's statements to Signal FM:

Delva - recording The AJH wants to condemn the intrigues by a certain number
of OP members in Gonaives, who have threatened Francois, who is the Radio
Metropole correspondent in Gonaives, and Fleurimond, who works in Gonaives
for Radio Kiskeya. We can confirm that severe pressure is being put on these
two journalists, who have even been obliged to go into hiding because of the
serious threats to which they have been subjected. AJH deplores this
situation and calls on the authorities in the country, the police and the
justice authorities, as well as the political authorities, to assume their
responsibilities and make sure that their supporters in Gonaives do not
carry out the threats they have made against Francois and Fleurimond in the
next few days.

We also want to condemn the physical attack on Anne Myriam Loiseau, the
correspondent for Radio Vision 2000 in Miragoane. Policemen attacked her
physically two days ago. We condemn this act and once again ask that the
authorities should show that they do not support such actions by taking the
necessary disciplinary measures against the policemen involved in such acts.

We are taking this opportunity to denounce all other attacks on journalists
throughout the country, in several other parts of the country, particularly
in the Limonade area, where an Intervention and Maintenance of Order Company
CIMO or Departmental Unit for Maintenance of Order UDMO police officer,
Superintendent Cosmy Alexis, went to Radio Limonade FM on several occasions
to threaten John Pierre, the director of that radio station.

It is the responsibility of the police hierarchy, the high command of the
police, to intervene to make sure that the threats against Pierre are not
executed. Once again, it is deplorable that police officers and other
individuals linked to the government continue to persecute journalists and
the media in Haiti.







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