#3282: Haiti Journalists Protest Attacks (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:nozier@tradewind.net

Monday April 17 11:37 PM ET 

 Haiti Journalists Protest Attacks

 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - About 100 journalists marched in Haiti's
capital Monday to protest the slaying of the country's foremost radio
commentator. With demands that the government crack down on attacks, the
journalists marched from  Port-au-Prince's central plaza to the nearby
Palace of Justice under the eye of heavily armed police. ``The
assassination of Jean Dominique was an appalling attack against freedom
of the press,'' said Joseph Guyler Delva, a newspaper and radio
reporter. Unidentified gunmen fatally shot Dominique April 3 as he
arrived to work at Radio Haiti Inter, a station he owned and directed.
 Police have made no arrests in the slaying, but President Rene Preval
defended their investigation.After Dominique's funeral April 8, street
activists loyal to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide burned down
the headquarters of an opposition political  coalition and stoned the
building that houses the private Radio Vision 2000.                     
Radio Vision 2000, which has often been targeted for its anti-government
stands, stopped newscasts for several days; and talk show host Daly
Valet has gone into hiding after death threats. Few violations of press
freedom have been reported since U.S. troops intervened in Haiti in 1994
to stop three years of repressive military-backed rule. But the
atmosphere has worsened since January 1999, when Preval shut down
Parliament and called for new elections. Ten political killings have
been reported since March 29.