The rarely-seen Aristide arrived at court at 8 am local time ( 1300 GMT) accompanied by some supporters, but an official ban issued on Tuesday on street demonstrations kept away the massive crowds that often follow him.

　　He testified before Judge Yvickel Dabresil about the death of journalist Jean Leopold Dominique, a case that has remained unresolved.

　　Aristide arrived accompanied by Maryse Narcisse, spokesperson of the Fanmi Lavalas Party that first brought the former priest to power in 1990, and party deputies, including Francky Exius, John Joel Joseph and Moise Jean Charles.

　　Despite the ban, hundreds of his followers gathered outside the court to express their support, though several police patrols were stationed around the court building to prevent the crowd from entering.

　　Lavalas Party supporters carried photos of the two-time president and shouted slogans against the government of current President Michel Martelly, accusing it of plotting against their leader and mismanaging the country's affairs.

　　Another large group of sympathizers had gathered outside Aristide's residence in the northern Tabarre district of the capital, before his caravan departed for court.

　　A day earlier, Haiti's National Police Chief Godson Orelus banned all public demonstrations during Aristide's court appearance, and announced all the necessary measures had been taken to guarantee Aristide's security.

　　Orelus also warned police were ready to quash any protests that threatened public order.

　　The influential journalist was shot on April 3, 2000, at the age of 69, as he was arriving at the radio station he owned, Radio Haiti Inter. Jean Claude Louissaint, the guard at the radio station, was also killed.

　　Last February, Haitian authorities reopened the case, first calling on former president Rene Preval, who was also a personal friend of Dominique, to testify.