H.E. René Préval
President of the Republic of Haiti
Palais National
Port-au-Prince
Haiti
Vienna, 20 December 2000
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and journalists, strongly condemns the killing of a journalist in Haiti.
According to information before the IPI, Gerard Denoze, who covered sports for Radio Plus, was shot dead with a 9 mm handgun by two men as he got out of a taxi in the Carrefour area of the capital, Port-au-Prince, on 15 December.
IPI understands that Denoze, 34, had received death threats over the phone, but that the motive for his murder remains unknown. His slaying is the second killing of a journalist in Haiti this year. On April 3, Jean Léopold Dominique, owner and director of the independent Radio Haďti Inter, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants as he was about to enter his radio station in Porte-au-Prince. One of the station’s security guards, Jean Claude Louissaint, was also killed in the incident. Dominique was Haiti’s most prominent political journalist and had often criticized politicians and businessmen in his programme, “Inter Actualités.” He, too, had received death threats.
IPI urges Your Excellency to ensure that there is a thorough investigation into Denoze’s death and that those responsible for this heinous crime are brought to justice. We further urge that all possible steps are taken to ensure the safety of journalists working in Haiti.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director