Haiti / Americas

  

In Haiti, murders of journalists go unpunished amid instability and gang violence

Dumesky Kersaint never flinched when it came to investigating violence in his gang-controlled suburb of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. On the morning of April 16, the 31-year-old radio reporter left before dawn to cover a previous night’s shooting near his home in Carrefour-Feuilles. He never came back.  Several hours after setting out, Kersaint’s body was found…

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Faces of impunity across the world

CPJ’s 2023 Global Impunity Index lists the top 12 countries where the murderers of journalists go free. But impunity knows no borders. The mosaic below shows the faces of slain journalists around the world. Beneath each journalist’s photo is the location of their death. Click the images for more details about these unsolved cases. (Photo grid by Geoff McGhee)

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A press freedom crisis unfolds in Latin America

As the number of journalists imprisoned globally for their work climbs to record highs, cases of those behind bars in Latin America remained relatively low. A total of six – three in Cuba, two in Nicaragua and one in Brazil – were in custody for their work as of December 1, according to the Committee…

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Medical staff are seen in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 27, 2020. CPJ recently spoke with Haitian journalist Robenson Sanon about covering the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters/Jeanty Junior Augustin)

Haitian journalist Robenson Sanon says covering COVID-19 feels like being ‘soldiers in the battlefield’

Reuters correspondent Robenson Sanon has been covering life in his home country of Haiti for over 10 years.

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President François Hollande speaks at the opening of the Open Government Partnership summit in Paris in December, where press freedom was added to the agenda. (Jacky Naegelen/Pool/AFP)

Press freedom on OGP agenda as authoritarianism rises

There was poignancy to the Paris summit of the Open Government Partnership, as leaders from government and civil society took the stage to defend a political ideology under siege: liberal democracy. French President François Hollande, who amid weak public support announced he will not seek re-election in 2017, called democracy “so fragile and so precious.”…

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Activists demonstrate against human rights abuses committed by Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier outside the St. Louis de Gonzague school chapel, where his funeral is held, in Port-au-Prince on October 11. (Reuters/Marc Lee Steed)

Duvalier’s death must not mean end of proceedings against dictatorship

The sudden death on October 4 of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and the initial information that he would be honored with a state funeral stunned the victims who had filed suit against Duvalier for massive violations of human rights during his regime. It also created an unexpected ripple effect in the press and the social…

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Demonstrators burn signs with images of Haitian President Michel Martelly during a protest in Port-au-Prince on February 7, 2012. (AP/Ramon Espinosa)

Was letter to Haiti website just part of Martelly’s theatrics?

As a former entertainer better known as “Sweet Micky,” it is perhaps unsurprising that Haitian President Michel Martelly has been theatrical at times in his dealings with the press. At one media event in October, the President answered a critical question posed by a journalist by telling him, “I curse your mother,” according to press…

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Pierre Elisem was shot by Aristide supporters in Port-au-Prince in February 2004. (AP/Walter Astrada)

Left for dead in Haiti: How CPJ helped one journalist

Ten years ago I joined the staff of the Committee to Protect Journalists to launch the Journalist Assistance program, an initiative, as CPJ board member Gene Roberts describes, developed to establish a standing direct response mechanism for journalists facing threats and attacks. When I left the position in 2009, many people asked me what case…

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Berhane (Colin McConnell/Toronto Star)

CPJ’s exiled journalists survey: Behind the numbers

In 2007, my colleague Karen Phillips suggested we do something to mark World Refugee Day. Initially planning to publish a brief statement, I set about reviewing our data for background, checking in with older journalist cases about their current situation and looking broadly for trends to highlight. As the number of cases began counting into…

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Montas is seeking justice in a criminal complaint against Duvalier. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

Haitian journalist Montas levels charges against Baby Doc

Former dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier is facing some blowback after breezing into Haiti last Sunday following a 25-year absence. On Wednesday, prominent Haitian journalist and former UN spokesperson Michele Montas joined three others in filing criminal complaints against the former dictator who returned to the country Sunday, just days after the anniversary of…

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