AHP on the Brignol Lindor Murder

Port-au-Prince, 6 décembre 2001 -(AHP)- The general-secretary of the Haitian Journalists' Association, (AJH), Joseph Guyler C. Delva, on Thursday called on the judicial authorities to put into action a public prosecution of those involved in the violent incidents in Petit-Goâve on 3rd December.

M. Delva who has returned from a fact-finding trip to Petit-Goâve, revealed that the state prosecutor has already begun the process of serving warrants against the members of the Dòmi Nan Bwa organisation who are accused of involvement in the murder of the journalist Brignol Lindor, and against the Convergence members who seriously wounded with machete blows a security guard of the local National Port Authority, Joseph Céus Duverger. He said that these warrants have been dispatched to the police authorities in the normal way.

The journalist Brignol Lindor was killed by machete blows on Monday in the locality of Lacul (Petit-Goâve) in reprisal for an attack, also with machetes, against, by demonstrators supporting the Democratic Convergence. M. Delva said he had obtained this information from a trustworthy source.

According to the general secretary of the AJH, the members of the Dòmi Nan Bwa organisation, believed to be close to the Lavalas Family Party, attacked M. Brignol, who they believed to be a member of the Convergence, following erroneous repots that Joseph Duverger had died from his serious injuries. [Duverger had infact survived the attack by Convergence supporters].

Meanwhile, the AJH leader invited the authorities to take immediate action to prevent an explosion in Petit-Goâve where he said he knew that illegal weapons are being circulated.

M. Delva revealed that he and members of a journalists' delegation on Tuesday had to hide in the mayor's toilet when Convergence members launched an attack with firearms, stones and broken bottles against mayor Emmanuel Antoine's house.

AHP 5 décembre 2001 12:30 PM

(translated from French by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group)