"The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Thursday [June 27] decision by Carlos Hercule, Haiti’s Minister of Justice and Public Security, to place Ronald Richemond, the federal prosecutor of the city of Les Cayes, on leave until further notice.
CPJ has reported on allegations linking Richemond to the murder of Haitian radio journalist Garry Tesse in October 2022. In the June 27 correspondence placing Richemond on leave, Hercule notes that the decision came after ‘various complaints’ against the prosecutor and was done to ‘guarantee the impartiality of the investigation that will be conducted by a commission designated for this purpose.’
[…]
The investigation announcement comes after a lengthy campaign by the Haitian group SOS Journalists, which has repeatedly denounced Richemond’s handling of the case. In a statement reviewed by CPJ, SOS Journalists called the decision to remove Richemond ‘an important milestone,’ adding that the new government must prioritize Tesse’s case and those of other killed journalists to ‘kick off the much-needed war’ against impunity and corruption."
