Assassination of Radio Haïti Inter's Director

Armed bandits today killed the General Director of Radio Haïti Inter, Jean Léopold Dominique, aged 70.

The bandits first killed a guard named Jean-Claude then crossed the main gate of the station and killed Dominique. The victim, who died at the Hôpital de la Communauté Haïtienne in Frères, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, had received many bullets, one of them in the neck. 

At this time we do not know who or what is behind the murder of this well-known journalist who was esteemed by Haitians for his unflagging and consistent commitment to democracy in Haiti.

His commitment made him the target of persecution, notably in 1980, when he and his family were forced into exile. Because of her father's commitment to the democratic struggle, Jean Dominique's daughter served time in jail under the Duvalier regime.

The Director of Radio Haïti Inter never minced words in denouncing the supporters of the Duvalier regime, among them the "Macoutes" - the members of the late dictator's militia - who were responsible for the murder of Dominique's brother.

Jean Dominique was forced to go into exile once again during the 3-year period that followed the coup d'état perpetrated by Général Raoul Cédras during the night of September 29-30, 1991. His radio station was ransacked during the coup that killed approximately 5,000 people.

He was constantly working to train the journalists assigned to the news department of Radio Haïti Inter. In his opinion, one cannot succeed in the mission of providing information in an under-developed country, torn by divisions and hatred, without thorough training focused on the real conditions prevailing in one's milieu as they impact the life of the marginalised segments of society. 

"Jean Dominique, our living memory, always wanted to investigate all issues thoroughly and would not be silenced by the incomprehension and barbarism of the leaders of the former regime," according to a friend of Dominique who stated that the turn of events in the general condition of the country is discouraging.