Jean Dominique

Infobox artist
bgcolour = yellow
name = Jean Dominique


imagesize = 200px
caption = The Agronomist
birthname = Jean Leopold Dominique
birthdate = July 30 1930
location =
deathdate = April 3 2000
deathplace =
field = Journalism, Agronomy
training =
movement =
awards =

Jean Léopold Dominique (July 30, 1930 – April 3, 2000) was a noted Haïtian journalist who spoke out against successive dictatorships. He was one of the first people in Haïti to broadcast in Kreyòl, the language spoken by most of the populace. Despite fleeing the country twice when his life was under threat, he continued to return to his native Haïti. He was assassinated on April 3, 2000, a crime for which no one has ever been prosecuted.

History

Dominique was born into the mulatto elite of Haïtian society. After completing his schooling, he trained as an agronomist in Paris, France. On his return, he began working with the poverty stricken peasantry. Using his skills, Dominique helped rural farmers to better manage their land and stay out of debt of wealthy landowners. Some landowners, in an effort to maintain control over the farmers, convinced local authorities to jail Dominique for six months. After his release he continued to witness the abuse of the peasantry. He became distressed at what he saw, and in time, emerged as one of the strongest critics of the regime of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. During the 1960s, he became interested in film and founded Haïti's first film club. Later, he made one of Haïti's first documentaries entitled, "But, I Am Beautiful."

In the late 1960s, Dominique joined Radio Haïti as a reporter, and followed this in 1971, by purchasing the station's lease. He also began broadcasting in Kreyòl. This was the first time that a Haïtian radio station had broadcast locally in the language spoken by most of the populace, as opposed to French, which was the language of the ruling elite.

Despite pressure from the regimes of both "Papa Doc" and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Dominique continued criticising what he perceived to be injustices. This resulted in Radio Haïti being shut down several times, and finally, in Dominique being forced into exile in the United States in 1980.

In 1986, Dominique returned to Haïti, after the fall of the Duvalier regime. He was greeted at the airport by 60,000 people. There was some suggestion that he may have run for President himself, but Dominique declined to do so. He then became involved in the Lavalas party that won the 1990 elections. However, when the military overthrew the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1991, Dominique feared for his safety, and fled into exile again. He returned in 1994, after Aristide's return to power.

In the final years of his life, Dominique concentrated on issues of corruption and negligence. He criticised a pharmaceutical firm, Pharval Laboratories, for selling contaminated cough syrup that was responsible for the deaths of 60 children. Dominique also took on a former police chief Dany Toussaint (a former Haïtian Senator), whom he accused of having his rival for the position of Secretary of State for Public Security, Jean Lamy, assassinated. As a result of this, Toussaint's supporters surrounded and attacked the radio station building. The New York Haïtian radio station Radio Liberté had also reported that Dominique had received death threats via Toussaint's lawyers. This led Dominique to state "I know he has enough money to pay and arm henchmen," he said. "If he tries to move against me or the radio station and if I'm still alive, I'll close the station down and go into exile once again with my wife and children."

Dominique had also been strongly critical of United States policy towards Haïti, the Aristide government and, towards the end of his life, the role of Dany Toussaint within Aristide's political party Fanmi Lavalas Party (which had evolved out of the original Lavalas Party).

“I know that he [Dany Toussaint] has weapons. I know that he has the money to pay and arm his followers. Here, I have no other weapon than my journalist's pen. And [with it] my microphone and my unquenchable faith as a militant for true change. And let me be perfectly clear, I will not turn over to any freeloader in the world a monopoly over Lavalas, no matter who it is!”

On April 3, 2000, Dominique was shot four times in the chest as he arrived for work at Radio Haïti. The station's security guard was also killed in the attack. President René Préval ordered three days of official mourning, and 16,000 people attended his funeral at a sports stadium.

There have been numerous inconsistencies in the investigations into the murder, including the mysterious death of a suspect. Pharval Laboratories and Senator Toussaint came under suspicion as a result of the murder. Toussaint was the prime suspect. While the Pharval somewhat cooperated with the inquiries, Toussaint claimed parliamentary immunity and refused to testify. The first investigating judge, Claudy Gassant, fled to the United States after suggesting that Toussaint be charged over the murder. Despite this, Gassant's superiors decided that no charges would be laid. Under increasing international pressure, the Aristide government arrested three alleged gunmen Ti Lou, Guimy and Markington, but they were never charged. These three men all mysteriously escaped under the U.S. installed government of Gerald Latortue.

Though six more people were jailed in March, 2004 for involvement in the killing, the person who ordered it has never been found. Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders have both strongly criticised the Aristide government for not doing more to solve the case. Since the assassination, several large public protests have called for more action to be taken. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and anti-Lavalas political parties within Haiti have been accused of allegedly exploiting the case for political purposes towards destabilizing Haiti's democratically elected government which was overthrown in February 2004 with backing from the U.S.

The documentary The Agronomist suggests that Aristide and his government may have had a motive to kill Dominique. On December 16, 1996, Dominique had accused Aristide in a live interview that Aristide had showered the "big oligarchy" with gifts after returning to the country. Dominique said that that the oligarchs, in return, had corrupted the tax office and the electricity company, and that this corruption had been accepted by Lavalas.

At one point Dany Toussaint led a group of armed men into Haiti's senate and threatened Lavalas senators with guns if they voted to revoke his immunity. Lavalas leaders now claim that Toussaint was a rogue working the ex-military and was working against the government from the inside. Toussaint also hindered the government's attempt to alter the constitution to outlaw the military.

But RSF felt that Aristide government itself was hindering the investigation and called for a government aid embargo. An embargo (2001–2004) on aid to the desperate government greatly contributed to a health crisis causing an untold amount of damage. Fact|date=February 2007 New documentation shows that RSF during this time period was receiving grants from the U.S. Department of State. Fact|date=February 2007 The Aristide government supported Gassant's investigation of the case more so then any other similar case in Haitian history but Gassant and the government were constantly at odds. The interim government of Gerald Latortue stalled the case and a few suspects were able to escape from prison.

Months prior to the 2004 coup, Dany Toussaint joined the political opposition to the elected government, and unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2006 presidential election. With Toussaint's departure from Lavalas he received little criticism from elites.

Dominique left behind a wife, Michèle Montas, and three daughters: Jan-J (JJ), Nadine and Dolores. Montas fled to the United States in late 2003 after the murder of her bodyguard and repeated death threats.

Dominique's life was the focus of the Jonathan Demme documentary "The Agronomist".

Guy Delva now claims that in fact one of the biggest anti-Aristide businessmen in the country, Senator Rudolph Boulos, is halting the Dominique case. Delva has accused Boulos of working to intimidate the press.

External links

* [http://www.ijdh.org/pdf/headline6-24-08.PDF?p=1366 Haiti and the Jean Dominique Investigation] - Journal of Haitian Studies
* [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13091 Dominique's Murder Unsolved] - RSF
* [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/118/ Updates on Press Freedom in Haïti] - IFEX
* [http://www.counterpunch.org/barahona05172005.html Counterpunch article on RSF in Haiti]