23886: (pub) Chamberlain: Haiti-Slain Journalist (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By AMY BRACKEN

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, Dec 13 (AP) -- Some documents associated with the
slaying of a famed Haitian journalist have disappeared, thwarting efforts
to solve the case and angering rights groups.
   The investigation into the death of Jean Dominique -- a radio journalist
who became increasingly critical of ousted President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide's government before being shot in 2000 -- has been plagued with
problems, including the deaths of two suspects and the resignation of two
investigating judges who had received death threats.
   The most recent hurdle came with the disappearance of the courthouse
documents last week, according to Haiti's interim Justice Minister Bernard
Gousse.
   It wasn't immediately clear if the documents had disappeared because of
disorganization or negligence, or if they had been stolen.
   Michele Montas, the journalist's widow, suspected foul play.
   "It's an alarming situation," Montas told The Associated Press on
Monday. "This means someone with power, someone that acted before to block
the investigation, had the connections to get inside the court to get rid
of all the evidence."
   Shortly after the first investigation began into her 69-year-old
husband's death, one suspect was killed in mysterious circumstances in
police custody and another was killed by a mob that attacked a police
station where he was being held outside the capital.
   Haiti's U.S.-backed interim government, which replaced Aristide after he
fled a three-week rebellion in February, has been hamstrung to rebuild the
police force and judiciary, which was depleted of personnel and equipment
after Aristide and his supporters left.
   Although interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue has pledged to revive
the investigation, his government has yet to appoint a new investigating
judge for the case.
   "We have a government that says ending impunity is a priority, but it
has made no improvement in that area," said Pierre Esperance of the
National Coalition for Haitian Rights.
   Esperance said the case has been obstructed several times in the past
four years, including the Haitian Senate's declaration that it would not
waive parliamentary immunity for one of the key suspects, former Sen. Dany
Toussaint, who has since started a new political party.
   RDegis Bourgeat, with the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, said
the disappearance of the documents showed "carelessness" on the part of the
government.
   "We would have expected the Haitian government to take all the measures
to put such a sensitive file in a safe place or to give it the protection
it deserves," Bourgeat said.
   Montas, who herself fled from Haiti after receiving death threats for
continuing to broadcast at her husband's station Radio Haiti Inter and
after her bodyguard was killed, helped Jonathon Demme produce a recent
documentary about her husband's life called The Agronomist.
   She heads the francophone radio division for the United Nations.
   "It's no longer about who killed Jean Dominique," Montas said from New
York in a telephone interview. "It's about who took those papers. When we
know that, then we have a clear trail on the people who killed Jean
Dominique."
   ------
   Associated Press writer Michael Norton contributed to this report from
Puerto Rico.