Jean Dominique
Encyclopedia
Jean Léopold Dominique was a noted Haïti
an 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, firmly believing in the cause of the Haitian plight. He was assassinated
on April 3, 2000, a crime for which no one has ever been prosecuted.
agriculturalist in Paris
, France
. He believed in educating and training the Haitian people so they could take care of themselves. Upon his return to Haiti, 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 emerged as one of the strongest critics of the militant 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
, But, I Am Beautiful.
In the early 1960s, he founded Haiti’s first independent radio station, Radio Haïti Inter, the first broadcast outlet in Creole, the language of 70 percent of Haitians. Dominique joined Radio Haïti initially as a reporter, and followed this in 1971, by purchasing the station's lease. 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.
“The only weapon I have is my microphone and my unshakable faith as a militant for change, veritable change,” Dominique once said.
, Dominique continued criticizing the government, campaigning for electoral democracy and social and economic justice. His criticisms resulted in Radio Haïti being shut down several times. Duvalier sent Dominique to exile in New York in 1980. Six years later, after Duvalier’s ouster, Dominique returned. 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.
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."
As a political adviser to Haiti’s President René Préval, he advocated holding elections but was criticized for his call to postpone them to ensure fairness.
, 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.
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
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.
The Jonathan Demme
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 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. 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.
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.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an journalist who spoke out against successive dictatorships. He was one of the first people in Haïti to broadcast in Kreyòl
Haitian Creole language
Haitian Creole language , often called simply Creole or Kreyòl, is a language spoken in Haiti by about twelve million people, which includes all Haitians in Haiti and via emigration, by about two to three million speakers residing in the Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, France, Cayman Islands, French...
, 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, firmly believing in the cause of the Haitian plight. He was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
on April 3, 2000, a crime for which no one has ever been prosecuted.
Early life
Dominique was born into the elite of French society living in Haiti. His father, Leopold Dominique, moved the family there from France with a belief in the cause of the Haitian plight. After Jean completed his private schooling in both France and Haiti, he trained as an agronomistAgronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
agriculturalist in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He believed in educating and training the Haitian people so they could take care of themselves. Upon his return to Haiti, 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 emerged as one of the strongest critics of the militant regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...
.
During the 1960s, he became interested in film and founded Haïti's first film club. Later, he made one of Haïti's first documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, But, I Am Beautiful.
In the early 1960s, he founded Haiti’s first independent radio station, Radio Haïti Inter, the first broadcast outlet in Creole, the language of 70 percent of Haitians. Dominique joined Radio Haïti initially as a reporter, and followed this in 1971, by purchasing the station's lease. 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
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, which was the language of the ruling elite.
“The only weapon I have is my microphone and my unshakable faith as a militant for change, veritable change,” Dominique once said.
The Duvalier years
Despite pressure from the regimes of both "Papa Doc" and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" DuvalierJean-Claude Duvalier
Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed "Bébé Doc" or "Baby Doc" was the President of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986. He succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, as the ruler of Haiti upon his father's death in 1971...
, Dominique continued criticizing the government, campaigning for electoral democracy and social and economic justice. His criticisms resulted in Radio Haïti being shut down several times. Duvalier sent Dominique to exile in New York in 1980. Six years later, after Duvalier’s ouster, Dominique returned. 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
Lavalas
Lavalas, the Kréyòl word for "avalanche", may refer to:* The Lavalas Political Organization in Haiti, founded in 1991 by Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his supporters, later part of the Struggling People's Party...
party that won the 1990 elections.
The Aristide years
However, when the military overthrew the government of Jean-Bertrand AristideJean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
in 1991, Dominique feared for his safety, and fled into exile again. He returned in 1994, after Aristide's return to power
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
.
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
Dany Toussaint
Dany Toussaint was a candidate in the February 2006 presidential election in Haiti. Toussaint is a former Haitian Army major, police chief and bodyguard of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He is a former Senator and leader of the Haitian Democratic and Reformist Movement Party...
(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
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
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."
As a political adviser to Haiti’s President René Préval, he advocated holding elections but was criticized for his call to postpone them to ensure fairness.
Assassination
On April 3, 2000, at 69 years of age, Jean 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. Dominique left behind his wife, Michèle MontasMichèle Montas
Michèle Montas is an award-winning journalist from Haiti and the former Spokesperson under UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon . Prior to her appointment, Montas headed the French unit of UN Radio...
, 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.
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
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.
The Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
documentary The Agronomist
The Agronomist
The Agronomist is a 2003 American documentary directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Jean Dominique. The documentary follows the life of Dominique, who ran Haiti's first independent radio station, Radio Haiti-Inter, during multiple repressive regimes....
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 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. 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.
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
- Haiti and the Jean Dominique Investigation - Journal of Haitian Studies. By Jeb Sprague.
- Dominique's Murder Unsolved - RSFReporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
- Updates on Press Freedom in Haïti - IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
- A Crusader Cut Down