Resolution of the Midyear Meeting
Bridgetown, Barbados
April 4 - 7, 2014
WHEREAS the inquiry into the murder case of famous Haitian journalist Jean Dominique has reached, for the first time in 14 years, a critical stage with the filing, at the end of last year, of the investigating judge's report submitted to the Court of Appeals in Haiti's capital
WHEREAS the investigating judge Yvickel Dabrezil has identified 9 suspects, all reputed to have links with the Lavalas Family party of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide
WHEREAS the judge has designated Mirlande Lubérisse, a very close ally of former president Aristide, as mastermind behind the killing, on April 3, 2000, of Jean Dominique
WHEREAS the suspect identified as mastermind of the crime is living in the United States and never went back to Haiti to answer questions, despite repeated invitations by the investigating judge, citing immigration problems
WHEREAS the defendants have rejected all the judges of the capital's Appeal Court as they seek the transfer of the case to an Appeal Court in provincial areas, in an effort to further delay the final results of the investigation and the beginning of the criminal trial
WHEREAS it is up to Haiti's Supreme Court (La Cour de Cassation) to rapidly decide on the defendants' request in order to avoid the negative consequences of such dilatory practices
THE IAPA RESOLVES
to demand that judicial authorities prosecute, try and convict all those directly or indirectly involved in the killing of journalist Jean Dominique, regardless of their intimidation power or political stature
to demand that the relevant authorities charge, try and sentence not only those who received the orders, but also and more importantly those who had given the orders to kill Jean Dominique
to call on Haiti's Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation) to decide, without any further delay, on the defendants' request seeking the transfer of the case to provincial jurisdictions in a dilatory tactic
to call on the U.S. and Haitian governments to cooperate on ways to ensure that the identified mastermind of Dominique's killing, who is living in the United States, can appear in Haiti to answer questions as requested by judicial authorities
to demand that the Haitian government and police take all necessary measures to provide adequate protection and security to witnesses, leading press freedom advocates pushing for justice, investigating judge Dabrezil and other judicial authorities involved with efforts to solve the Dominique case
