28220: McCalla (announce) In the Jean Dominique Matter, Justice Awaits Vigorous Leadership (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jocelyn McCalla <info@nchr.org>

On 6th Anniversary of the Assassination of Prominent Haiti
Journalist, Haitian Rights Coalition Calls for the Establishment
of a Special Court to Pursue Past Political Crimes

New York, April 3, 2006 -- Six years ago today, radio broadcast
pioneer and democracy advocate Jean Léopold Dominique was gunned
down on the steps of Radio Haiti Inter shortly before he was to
begin the morning's news broadcasts. His murderers also killed
the radio station's groundskeeper, Jean-Claude Louissaint. In
the days preceding his assassination, Mr. Dominique had become
openly critical of government malfeasance and corruption, and
increasingly questioned the commitment to the poor of the
Lavalas Party and its leaders.

In recognition of his lifetime achievements, the government
treated him to a hero's funeral. That is all the honor that Mr.
Dominique and his relatives have received so far. The National
Coalition for Haitian Rights (NCHR) notes with deep sadness that
little progress has been made by Haitian authorities since in
identifying, apprehending, prosecuting and convicting the
killers and their patrons.

Haitian governments in the last six years have provided scant
support for vigorous investigative and prosecutorial action.
Investigations have repeatedly stalled because of political
interference, the refusal or inability of governments to provide
investigative magistrates the means and the protection necessary
to carry out their tasks free of fear, and the inability of
authorities to protect the plaintiffs and aggrieved parties. The
silencing of Mr. Dominique was followed by an attempt to silence
his widow, Michele Montas. The assassins failed to kill her, but
nonetheless succeeded at silencing Radio Haiti. Ms. Montas lives
currently in exile in New York City and serves among other
things on the board of the NCHR.

René Préval's recent election in Haiti may provide a real
opportunity for justice in the Dominique case to be given the
attention it deserves. The President-elect should note that the
February 7th vote, which gave him a second chance at leading
Haiti away from abject poverty, was in large measure a vote for
judicial equity, for the absence of justice lies at the heart of
the inequitable distribution of wealth and resources in Haiti
and the corresponding lack of basic services from the public
sector. We also note that in and out of Haiti there's virtually
unanimous agreement that law-enforcement must be strengthened
and that police and judicial reform are of the highest priority.
However, effective reforms are at best years away. Yet justice
for Jean Dominique, Brignol Lindor, Jacques Roche or any other
victims of political assassinations cannot wait indefinitely.

While recognizing that the office of the President is hamstrung
by constitutional limitations and the political and practical
reality of barely functioning state institutions, we urge
President-Elect Préval to use his political capital and moral
authority now and in the future to back a vigorous pursuit of
the criminals who conspired to silence Dominique and the
democratic voices to which he gave voice. The government of
Haiti should promptly establish an interim prosecutorial machine
-- a special court or prosecutor -- to which the international
community should commit significant resources so that justice
reigns supreme.

Please visit the NCHR web site http://www.nchr.org to read a
statement by Michele Montas and Jan Dominique in French. For
further information, contact: Jocelyn McCalla, Executive
Director, (212) 337-0005; or jmccalla@nchr.org

P.S.: Bob, please consider providing support to the
NCHR so that we can meaningfully and promptly fulfill our
mission.
1. You can invest in NCHR right away with a one-time credit card
donation at https://secure.ga4.org/01/Donate_Now_2006/ns7asIKn1MXEz?.
2. Many people find it convenient to demonstrate their support
of NCHR and its mission by scheduling regular contributions on a
monthly, quarterly or semi-annual basis. We welcome and
encourage this form of giving at https://secure.ga4.org/01/monthly_2006/ns7asIKn1MXEz?.
Donations can be made on behalf of a loved one, to honor someone
or because of a special occasion. Please give generously.
Transactions are handled by a secure web server. We take every
precaution possible to protect your personal information. Please
see our privacy policy at http://www.nchr.org/mnd/privacypol.htm
for more information.
--------------------------------------------------

The movement for a non-violent, rights-respecting and prosperous
Haiti takes off with the inclusion of friends, relatives and
associates who, like you, care about the well-being of their
next door neighbor. Please click on the link below to tell them
about the National Coalition for Haitian Rights and urge them to
join the movement.

http://ga4.org/join-forward.html?domain=nchr&r=s7asIKn1MXEz

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for
National Coalition for Haitian Rights at:

http://ga4.org/nchr/join.html?r=s7asIKn1MXEzE

--------------------------------------------------

This message was sent to corbetre@webster.edu. To modify your email
communication preferences or update your personal profile, visit
your subscription management page at:

http://ga4.org/nchr/smp.tcl?nkey=g5dkk64a53j7n5&;

To stop ALL email from National Coalition for Haitian Rights,
reply via email with "remove" in the subject line, or use the
following link:

http://ga4.org/nchr/remove-domain-direct.tcl?ctx=center&nkey=g5dkk64a53j7n5&;

***************************************
Powered by GetActive Software, Inc.
Member Relationship Management Solutions
That Recruit, Engage, and Retain (tm)
http://www.getactive.com
***************************************