Former Senator accused of killing Jean Dominique in Haiti: Exclusive Interview

Former Senator Myrlande Liberus served as director at the Aristide Foundation for Democracy
where delegates regularly vote on grassroots initiatives aimed at improving life in their communities.

Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio Senior Producer Kevin Pina interviews former Lavalas Senator Myrlande Liberus who was recently accused by a judge in Haiti of assassinating journalist and commentator Jean Leopold Dominique in April 2000. Also joining him is Laura Flynn, a member of the Board of Directors of the Aristide Foundation for Democracy and the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH).

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Americas

9 in Haiti Accused in Journalist Case

By REUTERS 

 JAN. 18, 2014

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A judge on Friday concluded the investigation into one of Haiti’s most notorious political assassinations, accusing nine people, including close associates of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, of having had a hand in the killing of the radio journalist Jean Dominique.

Mirlande Libérus, a former senator from Mr. Aristide’s political party, Lavalas, was indicted as the organizer of the murder in April 2000 of Mr. Dominique, owner of Radio Haiti Inter, and a security guard, according to a summary of the judge’s report made public by an Appeals Court panel on Friday.

Gunmen shot the two victims as Mr. Dominique was arriving by car at the radio station’s office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, according to the report.

Evidence indicated that Mr. Libérus had been ordered by Mr. Aristide to silence Mr. Dominique, a popular journalist and human rights activist, the report said, citing witnesses who had testified before Judge Yvikel Dabrésil. The judge did not indict Mr. Aristide as part of the conspiracy, apparently concluding that evidence was insufficient.

Mr. Dominique’s widow, Michèle Montas, welcomed news of the report, saying it was a “positive step.”